…When Asked This Question
By Ken Hare
Chicago Defender Staff Writer
The Police Accountability Task Force, chaired by Lori Lightfoot, just released its 190-page report after a four-months-long inquiry into the practices of the Chicago Police Department. In an hour-long, exclusive interview with our editorial board, the Chicago Defender had the opportunity to ask some rather revealing questions.
CD: Lori, did the Task Force look at the issue of policemen carrying individual liability insurance so that the city doesn’t have to continue paying these huge settlements?
LL: Â “We heard about that, but frankly weren’t able to get enough information about it. We weren’t sure and we didn’t find anywhere that that was a product being offered by insurance companies. It was a concept that was brought to our attention, but to be candid, we didn’t dig down deep on that.”
Currently, Chicago has paid out a whopping $642,000,000 in police-related shootings and misconduct settlements over the past eleven years, according to the Better Government Association. That’s 2,377.00 for every man, woman, and child in Chicago. And, there are over 390 police-related lawsuits currently winding their way through the courts and more are sure to come.
So it is only appropriate to start asking the question: Should policemen and women be required to have personal liability insurance as a requirement to carry a firearm?
Stay tuned for the full story in development…