Fired Chicago police oversight official files whistleblower suit, alleging anti-cop bias drives probes - Chicago Sun-Times
A former high-ranking police oversight official has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city of Chicago, alleging he was wrongfully fired after raising alarms about bias and mismanagement within the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The complaint, filed Thursday in Cook County by former COPA deputy chief administrator Matthew Haynam, marks the latest broadside against the agency charged with probing serious allegations of police misconduct, including officer-involved shootings.
The suit claims COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten fired him and another COPA employee, Garrett Schaaf, after they complained to both a civilian oversight panel and the city’s top watchdog about the integrity of COPA’s investigations and the allegedly prejudicial actions of agency leaders.
Devlin Schoop, the attorney representing both former officials, said Schaaf was expected to file suit Friday. They were both terminated on Aug. 30 amid a firestorm at COPA.
By then, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability had already asked Inspector General Deborah Witzburg’s office to probe “the quality and integrity” of COPA investigations and allegations of whistleblower retaliation.
Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police has filed a federal lawsuit alleging COPA conducted “biased and unfair investigations.”
After Haynam and Schaaf were terminated, 16 current or former COPA employees sent a letter asking the community commission to consider...
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