The case of the botched search of the home of Anjanette Young has blown up in to a full scale political storm for Mayor Lightfoot. The case is a perfect example of just how little command and control there is within the Chicago Police Department and how the chase for guns and drugs still sets the agenda for the Department.

This incident is not an example of a single group of bad officers but instead is definitive proof of a broken justice system that includes the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Cook County Criminal Court. All three of these organizations were part of the system that approved the warrant that authorized the raid in the first place.

I totally understand how the media is focusing on the fact that Young was naked when the officers entered her apartment and they refused to take appropriate steps to at the very least cover her body but I have to say that I think there are other significant misdeeds by the officers that need to be highlighted also.

First, the warrant should have never been authorized. The police simply had not done any of the foundational work that should be required before a warrant is authorized. So, someone should ask Kim Foxx why her office authorized the warrant in the first place. Then they should go and speak to the the judge that also signed off on the warrant about why he/she did that without requiring proof that the foundational work had actually been complete.

Second, I believe the moment Young states that she wants to call a lawyer the cops can no longer ask her any questions. She clearly screams this and despite that fact the officers on the scene continue to question her. This by itself should be reason enough for terminating the employment of the officers.

Third, why in the world would the body cam videos be exempt form disclosure? Young requested the tapes through a request under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act but the CPD denied that request. The truth is they are not but more than a year and half in to Lightfoot’s first term and the Chicago Police Department is lying as much if not more in their responses to requests for data and records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act as they did under Daley and Emanuel.

No matter how much you punish the individual officers nothing systemically is going to change within these organizations without swift and decisive action from our legislative bodies putting in to law restraints about how these agencies do their jobs.

Below here you can access a running list of media coverage about this case from throughout the Chicago media and some blogs around the city. We hope to update this every morning for the next week or two.

Also, you can watch a video of our live stream of the Chicago City Council Committee on Public Safety meeting from Dec. 22nd on the Anjanette Young case below or on our YouTube Channel.