Anjanette Young (2019)
Overview
On February 21, 2019, multiple Chicago Illinois Police Department officers assisted the SWAT team in the execution of a search warrant at Young's house. Upon entry, Young was found to be alone and naked. Young was handcuffed and covered with a blanket for 20 minutes as the officers searched the house.[1]
Sergeant Alex Wolinski refused to provide a copy of the search warrant when Young requested it, did not respond to other officer's request to remove Young's handcuffs, and ignored Young's request to allow her to call her pastor.[1]
The incident was captured on multiple body-worn cameras.[1]
Officer Alain Aporongao, who applied for the warrant, specified the wrong apartment number. Young was not the target of the warrant, lived alone, and did not know the target.[1]
The target of the warrant lived next door, and was wearing a police electronic monitoring device.[2]
Note that we have not written about each involved officer yet, but details of their involvement and any response will be shown on the officers' pages, linked to below.
On August 16, 2019, Young filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the officers.[1]
From August 2019 through November 2019, Young and media sources filed FOIA requests to obtain the body-worn camera video. The department denied the requests.[3]
In November 2019, the Mayor was made aware of the raid.[4]
On November 12, 2019, the Civilian Office for Police Accountability (COPA) opened an investigation into the incident.[1]
As part of Young's lawsuit, the court ordered the department to release 14 body-worn camera videos to Young's attorney, who later released them to the media.[5][6]
On March 9, 2020, Young withdrew her federal lawsuit as she planned to re-file in state court.[3][6]
On December 14, 2020, the city filed an emergency motion in federal court to block a media outlet from airing the body-worn camera video. While the outlet aired the video before a decision was returned, the judge did deny the city's motion.[7]
The city's attorneys asked a federal judge to impose sanctions against Young's attorney for violating a protective order and releasing the body-worn camera video to the media.[5]
On December 16, 2020, the Mayor claimed that she had only been informed of the raid earlier in the week.[8]
On December 18, 2020, the city withdrew their request for sanctions against Young's attorney.[9]
On December 20, 2020, the city's top lawyer (known as the Corporation Counsel) resigned.[10]
On December 21, 2020, the department put all the officers involved in the incident on desk duty, pending the conclusion of the COPA investigation.[9]
On December 21, 2020, the city's Deputy Corporation Counsel and Law Department Director of Public Affairs resigned.[11]
On December 22, 2020, the judge indicated that he might still impose sanctions against Young's attorney.[5][12]
On January 15, 2021, the Mayor asked the judge to not impose sanctions against Young's attorney.[5]
On January 20, 2021, the city's Inspector General opened an investigation into "possible misconduct" by city officials, including the Mayor, the Law Department, the Police Department, and COPA.[2]
On January 29, 2021, the judge decided not to file sanctions against Young's attorney.[6]
On February 19, 2021, Young refiled her lawsuit in state court, suing the city, the Mayor, and 12 officers involved, alleging a conspiracy to "cover up these grotesque human rights violations".[4]
On November 10, 2021, COPA released their findings, including recommendations of suspensions for Aporongao, Wolinski, Petracco, Cruz, Donnelly, Maloney, Villa, and French, and changes to departmental policies regarding the acquisition and execution of search warrants.[1]
On December 15, 2021, the city approved a $2.9 million settlement with Young.[13][14]
On December 16, 2021, an outside investigation into the city's handling of the incident found "failures in oversight and accountability" by several agencies and made recommendations for additional policies and training.[3]
On January 14, 2022, the city's Office of Inspector General released their report on the incident. The investigation found that the city failed to appropriately respond to Young, failed to act with transparency, and "prioritized communications and public relations concerns over the higher mission of City government".[15]
On June 15, 2023, Wolinski was fired for violating department rules including inattention to duty, disobedience of an order, and disrespect to or maltreatment of any person, and that he demonstrated a "failure of leadership".[16]
Officers Involved
Other officers involved:[1]
- Sergeant Cory Petracco
- Eric Acevedo
- Gabriel Cruz
- Bryan Mordan
- Cody Maloney
- Tito Jimenez
- Filip Bieniasz
- Michael Donnelly
- Nikola Saric
- Michael Orta
- Ella French
- Jose Villa
Official Reports
- COPA Summary Report of Investigation #2019-0004600
- Jones Day Report on the City of Chicago's Response
- Office of Inspector General Fourth Quarter Report
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Summary Report of Investigation #2019-0004600, Civilian Office of Police Accountability, 2019-11-12
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chicago Inspector General Investigating Mayor Lightfoot's Office, City Officials For 'Possible Misconduct' In Anjanette Young Raid, CBS Chicago, 2021-10-20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Report on the City of Chicago's Response, Jones Day, 2021-12-16
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sam Charles, Alleging conspiracy and cover-up, Anjanette Young sues Chicago, 12 officers over police raid, Chicago Sun Times, 2021-02-22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 In Letter, Lightfoot Tells Judge Not To Sanction Attorney In Anjanette Young Wrong Raid Case, CBS Chicago, 2021-01-16
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Federal Judge Won't Sanction Anjanette Young's Attorney For Releasing Body Camera Video, CBS Chicago 2021-01-29
- ↑ Lightfoot Sidesteps Questions About Why City Lawyers Tried to Keep Disturbing Body Camera Video Secret, CBS Chicago, 2020-12-15
- ↑ Lightfoot Acknowledges She Learned About Wrong Raid Of Anjanette Young's More Than A Year Ago, CBS Chicago, 2020-12-18
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 CPD Officers Involved In Wrong Raid Of Anjanette Young's Home Placed On Desk Duty, CBS Chicago, 2020-12-21
- ↑ Chicago's Top Lawyer, Mark Flessner, Resigns After CBS 2 Investigation Exposing Wrong Raid Of Anjanette Young's Home, CBS Chicago, 2020-12-20
- ↑ Two More City Law Department Officials Out Of Jobs, A Day After Corporation Counsel Resigns Amid Anjanette Young Video Controversy, CBS Chicago, 2020-12-21
- ↑ Jon Seidel, Federal judge might still sanction Anjanette Young’s lawyer, Chicago Sun Times, 2020-12-22
- ↑ City Council Approves $2.9 Million Settlement For Anjanette Young, 'But It Will Never Give Ms. Young Back Her Dignity And Respect', CBS Chicago, 2021-12-15
- ↑ Journal of the Proceedings, City Council, 2021-12-15
- ↑ Fourth Quarter Report, Office of Inspector General, 2022-01-14
- ↑ Mary Symone, Sgt. Involed In Botched Chicago Police Raid Fired, NewsOnyx, 2023-06-18
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