A Cook County judge ordered its release in November 2015, more than a year after McDonald was killed and about seven months after Emanuel beat Jesus “Chuy” Garcia in the city’s first mayoral runoff election — fueling speculation that the video was part of a “cover-up” and withheld for Emanuel’s political gain.
Its release sparked widespread protests. Thousands of marchers called for the resignations of Emanuel, former Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and former CPD Supt. Garry McCarthy.
In a speech to the City Council shortly after the video’s release, Emanuel acknowledged a “code of silence” within the police department. He fired McCarthy. Alvarez lost her re-election bid to Kim Foxx.
To replace McCarthy, Emanuel tasked the Chicago Police Board with conducting a nationwide search but he ultimately circumvented the process and tapped patrol chief Eddie Johnson, who had not submitted his name, for the job in March 2016.
In an effort to bridge the gap between police and minority communities, the CPD has made a point to hire more people of color.
At the same time, Chicago’s murder totals skyrocketed, with 780 people shot and killed in 2016. It was the first time since the city saw violence totals that high since the mid-90s. Chicago is on pace to see about 500 murders in 2018.
In 2016, Emanuel unveiled plans to hire 1,000 new police officers within two years, but as of last May, the Sun-Times reported a net gain of about 600 officers, with fewer assigned to the city’s 22 police districts.
The McDonald video spurred a Department of Justice investigation that led to a scathing report that found the police department engaged in a pattern of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit against the city to obtain a consent decree to reform the CPD’s practices. That consent decree will be overseen and enforced by a federal judge and has no expiration date.
