Chicago Officials Vow to Release Police Shooting Footage Quicker

Facing continued backlash from the city’s lagging response following Laquan McDonald’s October 2014 death, Chicago officials have vowed to release video footage within 60 days of any police-involved shooting.

ABC News reports that Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the new policy yesterday, explaining that all footage in current and future police shooting investigations must be released within two months of the shooting, though law enforcement officials will have the ability to request a 30-day delay in the video release. The new recommendations will take effect immediately.

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“Restoring trust between our police and the communities they’re sworn to serve is an essential part of our city’s public safety efforts,” Emanuel said in a statement.

Activists have been calling for Emanuel’s resignation due to his handling of the McDonald shooting. McDonald, 17, was fatally shot 16 times as he walked away from officers the night of October 20, 2014. It wasn’t until more than a year later, in November 2015, that the city released footage of the shooting and indicted Officer Jason Van Dyke on six counts of murder. 

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Van Dyke is currently out on bail. Community leaders and politicians are asking that the city take the case out of the hands of state’s attorney Anita Alvarez and turn it over to a special prosecutor.