Chicago — A former official at Chicago’s police oversight agency, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), has filed a lawsuit against the city, contending he was dismissed for highlighting alleged biases and unprofessional behavior within the unit. Matthew Haynam, who served as a supervisor at COPA, asserted his termination in August by COPA chief Andrea Kersten was a direct response to his complaints to the City of Chicago’s Inspector General and the Civilian Commission on Public Safety and Accountability.
The lawsuit claims that Kersten was instrumental in shaping public opinion against police officers involved in ongoing misconduct investigations before their completion. Haynam argues that such premature conclusions compromise the integrity of the investigations. Moreover, he accuses COPA investigators of often neglecting essential Chicago Police training manuals when evaluating officers’ conduct, which are vital to fairly determining misconduct.
Haynam’s allegations extend to Kersten’s public commentary on high-profile COPA cases. He suggests these statements, made prior to the investigations’ conclusions, are propelled by her political ambitions and thus detrimentally affect the agency’s credibility.
A controversial case mentioned in the lawsuit is one that began earlier this year concerning a Chicago Police Department officer from the Ogden District, rumored to be involved in an inappropriate relationship with an asylum seeker temporarily housed at the police station. Haynam labeled Kersten’s assertions in this case as indicative of a broader tendency to let bias cloud judgment, particularly when actual evidence is scant.
The lawsuit vividly criticizes Kersten for her alleged predisposition to assume officer misconduct in high-profile incidents involving police, which Haynam contends happens irrespective of the investigative findings. This, he claims, has tainted the perception of COPA as a neutral body intended to objectively oversee police conduct.
Representatives from COPA and the city’s Law Department have refrained from commenting on the lawsuit citing its ongoing nature. The court is scheduled to hold its first hearing on the matter in November.
Haynam’s legal challenge throws a spotlight on the complex dynamics between police oversight bodies and the departments they monitor. It raises questions about the balance between holding law enforcement accountable and ensuring that the processes used to judge their actions are fair and devoid of prejudicial influences.
This lawsuit could potentially impact public trust in COPA and influence how similar oversight agencies operate across the country, particularly in how they handle the delicate task of investigating police misconduct while maintaining neutrality.