Dec. 11--The death last month of Darrin Hanna -- who his family claims was fatally beaten by North Chicago police during a domestic disturbance -- has prompted at least three investigations, widespread public outrage and calls for the police chief to be removed.
It has also sparked an appeal by some elected officials for another local intervention into police department operations by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The issue is not just Hanna's death -- which is currently under investigation by the city, Illinois State Police and the Lake County coroner's office, which has yet to determine an exact cause -- but repeated allegations of police beatings and shootings, said Democratic state Rep. Rita Mayfield of neighboring Waukegan. She is Hanna's cousin but says the issue is not personal, but one of public safety.
"This is bigger than one investigation," Mayfield said. "There's been a string of (police) violence in North Chicago. This is about a city that is in terror."
Hanna, 45, died Nov. 13, a week after police intervened in a domestic disturbance at his home. He had a long arrest record, including several convictions for retail theft, and arrest warrants for domestic battery and aggravated battery.
On Thursday, hundreds of residents packed City Hall, some demanding the ouster of police Chief Mike Newsome. The City Council voted 4-3 to suspend the chief, but Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr., who appointed Newsome in 2005, said the chief will stay in place at least until the investigations into Hanna's death are completed. In the meantime, seven officers have been placed on desk duty pending the resolution of those probes.
Hanna's case followed the city's recent payout of $90,000 to another resident, Stretha "Van" Alston, who said police beat him following a 2009 traffic stop. That incident was caught on a police squad car videotape, which showed officers punching Alston, a 61-year-old veteran and dialysis patient, while he was on the ground.
In another case, a 70-year-old man, Walter White, claims he was hospitalized after being beaten by police and suffering facial fractures while in a North Chicago jail cell after a traffic arrest.
And in 2008, a North Chicago police officer fatally shot 21-year-old Aaren Gwinn in the chest as he drove a car. Police said Gwinn drove the car at them, and the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force ruled the shooting was justified. But the city recently agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit over Gwinn's death.
Critics say a pattern of excessive police force goes back further. Two serious beatings in 2006 prompted intervention by the local chapter of the NAACP and the U.S. Department of Justice that resulted in a memorandum of understanding that set forth several reforms the city promised to enact. Those included closer tracking of police conduct and the establishment of a citizens advisory board.
North Chicago Ald. Valerie DeVost said very little of the agreement has been implemented and blames the mayor for what she calls his lack of cooperation. DeVost and Mayfield are calling for the Department of Justice to conduct a review of the department to suggest best practices for improving safe operations.
DeVost went further, seeking the mayor's resignation.
"The mayor does not know how to discipline people," she said. "This is why we've had this ongoing issue."
Rockingham could not be reached for a response.
The police chief and Justice Department officials also could not be reached.
Karen Carstens, president of the Lake County Branch of the NAACP, said that some of those steps set forth in the memorandum of understanding were implemented but that others were not, in part because of a lack of participation by residents. But she said meetings with federal officials have resumed.
"All the reports need to be in before we can take a position on what corrective action should be taken," she said. "This (NAACP) administration has not been vocal (about the latest incidents) because we do not have all the answers yet. You have to let the process work. Whether it's the fault of police, or they acted accordingly, we don't know yet."
Freelance reporters Ruth Fuller and Ralph Zahorik contributed.
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