IPRA to release dozens of recordings of Chicago police shootings
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - The police shooting of Laquan McDonald set off a firestorm.
And on Friday, the Chicago Police Department is answering the calls for transparency. The Independent Police Review Authority will release videos and documents on 100 different incidents.
Seven years have gone by since Andrew Cazares and his friend, Fausto Manzera, were killed by an off-duty Chicago police officer.
"These 2 young 17-year-old boys, in the beginning of their adulthood suffered an agonizing death,” said attorney Tim Cavanagh.
Police said Joseph Frugoli was drunk, more than three times the legal limit, when he slammed into the boys' stalled car on the Dan Ryan Expressway. He’s serving eight years in prison for their deaths.
“He was known to be an alcoholic, he was a drunk, he drove intoxicated all the time and the city of Chicago knew it. And because of the code of silence where there's two forms of justice in Chicago. One if for ordinary citizens and Chicago police officers get a pass,” Cavanagh said.
The expected release Friday of documents and videos involving Chicago police from IPRA are a sign that things may be changing, although it's still not clear which incidents they will show.
The release follows a task force recommendation that videos of all police related confrontations be provided to the public within 60 days.
Cavanagh knows how difficult it can be to get documents from the city when it involves the so-called code of silence.
“You have to fight them tooth and nail to get them,” Cavanagh said.
For Jose Cazares' family, the release could mean documents surrounding other crashes involving former Officer Frugoli could finally come to light.
The family feels the crash could have been avoided.
“Had they not given Joe Frugoli a pass, Jose Cazeres would be alive today,” Cavanagh said.
The attorney for the family says they're hopeful documents could be released to shed light on the history of the man that killed their child.
It’s one step towards further transparency and building a trust that's been lost between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The documents and videos could be released as early as 11 o'clock Friday morning on a city website.