Distrust of Chicago cops helps drive Emanuel's low approval on crime

[mucifer]

A strong majority of Chicagoans don't think the city's cops treat all citizens fairly and believe a cover-up "code of silence" is widespread in the Police Department, helping drive a record-low approval rating for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's handling of crime, a Chicago Tribune poll has found.

The survey's results illustrate a deep-seated distrust of the Chicago Police Department put in stark relief by a series of revelations about the death Laquan McDonald, a black teenager shot 16 times by white Officer Jason Van Dyke in October 2014. Police dashboard-camera video showed McDonald walking away from police when he was shot, but police reports show six officers claimed the teen had moved or turned threateningly toward them.

But through it all, Emanuel's approval rating on crime never has been lower than it is in the wake of the McDonald controversy. The 19 percent rating is down significantly from 34 percent approval in a January 2015 Tribune poll and a previous low of 30 percent in August 2014.

Just 3 percent of Chicagoans said they don't believe cops use a code of silence to protect one another, while nearly two-thirds said they think such a code is a widespread problem.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-crime-poll-met-0203-20160202-story.html