CHICAGO—Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called a special City Council meeting to discuss the police department that’s now at the center of the biggest crisis of his administration.
The Wednesday speech comes as Emanuel tries to restore the trust and confidence of residents in both the police force and his own leadership amid fallout over the release of a video showing the killing of a black teen by a white officer. Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who appeared in the video to be walking away from Van Dyke as he was shot.
The footage — ordered released by a judge and made public hours after Van Dyke was charged — set off a chain of events that captured the attention of the country. Days of protests and marches followed the video’s release, including one that on the busiest shopping day of the year partially shut down the city’s most famous shopping district, Michigan Avenue.
A few days later, Emanuel announced that he had demanded and received the resignation of Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, created a new task force for police accountability and expanded the use of body cameras.
