Ex-US attorney to review Chicago law department

Associated Press

CHICAGO

A former U.S. attorney will conduct an independent review of the division of Chicago’s law department that defends police after a judge last week accused a city attorney of hiding evidence in a lawsuit over a fatal police shooting, the head of the department said Sunday.

Dan Webb, co-chairman of Winston & Strawn, will review “practices and standards” of the Federal Civil Rights Litigation division, which represents Chicago and its officers in federal civil cases, including claims of excessive force, corporation counsel Steve Patton said.

He also said the department will bring in outside experts to provide yearlong, “enhanced ethics training” to the division’s 45 lawyers and their support staff.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang threw out a jury’s April finding that the police shooting of 27-year-old black man during a 2011 traffic stop was justified. In a 72-page ruling, he accused attorney Jordan Marsh of hiding evidence and later lying about it while representing the city in a lawsuit filed by Darius Pinex’s relatives. Chang also ordered a new trial.

Chang’s ruling was another blow for Mayor Rahm Emanuel and a police department that has been the subject of fierce criticism since the city, under court order, released squad-car footage of a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times.