Chicago’s top cop forced to resign, new accountability task force created following protests

 Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was forced to resign overnight after the meeting with the mayor. The controversy surrounding the McDonald case ‒ and the gang execution of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee in early November ‒ became too much for McCarthy to be able to remain on the job, they said.

Though McCarthy’s record “is a strong one, and one he can be proud of,” Emanuel said at a press conference, “now is a time for fresh eyes and new leadership.”

Emanuel ignored questions asking him why, after asking McCarthy for his resignation, he is not resigning himself. Many protesters, who went out in the streets of the Wind City following the release of McDolanld killing tape, were demanding the resignation of the mayor.

First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante will step in as Chicago’s top cop for the time being, Emanuel said. Escalante promoted to second-in-command in October. He had previously served as a district commander.

The City Council Black Caucus, several Latino aldermen, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the editorial boards of the Sun-Times and Washington Post all called for McCarthy to be fired or to resign.

The black caucus began calling for McCarthy’s ouster during budget meetings in September, and repeated that demand again last week, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“To build the trust and confidence of the public and, at this point, in this juncture for the city, given what we’re working on, he had become an issue rather than dealing with the issue and a distraction,” Emanuel said.

Emanuel did not mention Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who has also been under fire for her handling of the McDonald case. Protesters have also called for her ouster.

Along with ousting McCarthy, Emanuel also announced a police accountability task force that “will review the system of accountability, oversight and training that is currently in place for Chicago’s police officers,” the mayor’s administration said in a brief news release Monday night.

The five-member panel includes two African-Americans: Chicago Police Board president Lori Lightfoot, a former prosecutor, and Randolph Stone, director of the University of Chicago’s Criminal & Juvenile Justice Project Clinic. It also includes two Hispanics ‒ Hiram Grau, the former director of the Illinois State Police, and Sergio Acosta, an experienced criminal litigator and investigator ‒ and one Caucasian, City of Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson. Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, a Chicago native, will serve as a senior adviser on the task force.