Chicago police oversight investigator accused of compromising cases

Chicago's inspector general says probes by the city's newly formed police oversight agency were compromised by an investigator who had relatives and friends, all police officers, under investigation.

In a report released Tuesday, Inspector General Joe Ferguson says a Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigator he didn't identify conducted improper searches and improperly accessed records between December 2017 and January 2019.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the report says record searches and compromised COPA investigations involving the now ex-employee's brother, boyfriend and the boyfriend's family members.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot told the Sun-Times that Ferguson's investigation raise "concerning" questions about personnel and controls at the agency charged with investigating wayward police officers.

COPA replaced the Independent Police Review Authority, the credibility of which was questioned because it rarely sustained a complaint against a police officer.