A Chicago police watchdog agency charged with investigating allegations of sexual abuse between police officers and immigrants living at the station has been unable to confirm the claims made by an unnamed source.
On Tuesday, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) provided an update to reporters on its investigation into claims that a police officer assigned to Chicago’s 10th District participated in the sexual misconduct of an immigrant.
COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kirsten said the agency received information on July 6 about allegations of sexual misconduct against at least one police officer within the district.
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Chicago police officers in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood. (Brian Casella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, File)
The indictment identifies a specific officer and accuses the officer of having a sexual relationship with a female immigrant minor. Kristen added that the tipster also indicated that several other officers in the 10th District may have engaged in similar misconduct.
COPA staff assigned to the Special Victims Unit contacted the Chicago Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau to determine if it had an investigation into the matter or was aware of the allegations.
The agency learned that although the source of the initial allegation was unknown, information was being circulated among employees of various police departments and the Office of Emergency Management Communications. Later that evening, two tracking numbers were assigned to the Chicago Police Department’s misconduct investigation – one for a COPA investigation and another for a possible Bureau of Internal Affairs investigation.
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Kirsten said the agency has devoted significant resources to determining whether wrongdoing occurred and to identifying who reported the allegations.
“This investigation is open and ongoing, but I can confirm that to date, we have not identified any immigrants who claim to have been sexually assaulted or otherwise sexually harassed by members of the CPD,” Kirsten said.
He also said the investigation resulted in additional complaints related to immigrants, including an allegation that unidentified officers in the 19th District sexually assaulted an unidentified immigrant.
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Immigrants are taken from one bus to another after arriving from Texas at Union Station on September 9, 2022 in Chicago. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
FOX 32 in Chicago reported that four officers were allegedly involved in sexual relations with immigrants based at the Ogden District Police Station.
As a result of investigations by both COPA and the Bureau of Internal Affairs, the city began moving immigrants out of the station.
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Last week, the news station reported, about 5,000 migrants were living in 12 city-run temporary shelters while 650 were staying at police stations as they waited for a bed in a shelter.
Source by [Fox News]
