Source: John Gress / Getty
Rahm Emanuel Struggles To Fill Garry McCarty’s Position
Two of the top African Americans in law enforcement have turned down the coveted position as the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The job was recently vacated by Garry McCarthy. Former St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom applied for the job in 2011 but was passed over for McCarthy. Following the uprisings in Missouri after the death of Mike Brown, Isom is currently co-chairing a task force on police-citizen relations for the Ferguson Commission. The St. Louis native wants to ensure the recommendations he’s made for the Ferguson Police Department are implemented. Supposedly Emanuel is determined to find a black officer for the Superintendent’s job in order to restore his standing amongst the black residents in Chicago. Isom follows Charles Ramsey, former Chicago police officer and presently Philadelphia’s Police Commissioner who said he isn’t interested in returning to Chicago for the job. Applications for the Superintendent position are due Jan. 15. [Chicago Sun Times]
Ferguson Officer Faces Disciplinary Action For Threatening Protestors With His Gun
Former Ferguson Police Lieutenant, Ray Albers claims he felt under duress in the midst of protests following the death of Michael Brown. Albers, a 20-year police veteran is seen on video pointing his weapon, a semiautomatic rifle at protestors and telling them, “I will fu**ing kill you” and “Go f**k yourselves”. He claims he was “scoping” the crowd trying to find several “gunmen with bandanas”. Albers was wielding the gun in a such a way that John Wall of the St. Louis County Police Department stepped in and lowered Albers’ rifle from pointing at the crowd. “Nothing good was going to happen there. The optics were horrible. We had already been getting enough bad press” said Wall. Albers has already had to resign from his position and he is awaiting a verdict regarding further disciplinary action. [Huffington Post]
Milwaukee Agrees To Pay Nearly 100 Victims $5M Over Illegal Strip Searches
More than a dozen civil lawsuits have been filed against the city of Milwaukee for illegal strip searches and body cavity searches by officers looking for drugs. “It’s in the city’s best interest to manage risks involved in a reasonable and responsible manner” said the city’s attorney, Grant Langley. Four officers have been convicted of illegal searches between 2008-2012. There convictions were the onset of the civil rights suits. 74 victims were categorized within three groups that will receive fractions of the $5 million based on the officers involved and the type of search they incurred and other undisclosed factors. Fifteen people would get $60,000 each, 47 would receive $40,000 payments and 12 would receive $15,000. [Journal Sentinel]
Disneyland And Universal Studios Upping Their Security With Metal Detectors
Following the unfortunate shootings in San Bernardino where 14 people were killed and 22 were wounded, Disneyland in Anaheim, CA and Universal Studios in Hollywood, CA have added metal detectors to their front entrances. Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida will also have similar security measures. Children ages 14 and under are allowed to wear costumes while adults are no longer allowed to wear costumes or masks. The parks will no longer sell toy guns or Star Wars blasters. All guests will not have to go through metal detectors, they will be selected at random. The parks will increase the presence of plain clothes officers and bomb sniffing dogs. SeaWorld has also made some security improvements, but for the sake of security, they haven’t declined to publicly shared their new protocol. [LA Times]
RELATED STORIES:
MORNING MINUTE: White People Boycott Sam’s Club After Black CEO Calls For More Diversity
MORNING MINUTE: Missouri Politician Wants To Revoke Scholarships From Student Activists
