Jan. 05--The newly appointed head of the Independent Police Review Authority on Monday acknowledged two issues that the agency needs to improve on: transparency and showing it's truly independent of the Chicago Police Department and City Hall.
Sharon Fairley, a former federal prosecutor tapped last month by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to head the police oversight agency, offered few specifics on how to accomplish those goals, but she assured reporters that Emanuel won't be telling her how to investigate cops.
"I was a prosecutor here for eight years, where my job was to collect evidence and then make the call. That's what I'm planning on doing here," Fairley said. "... Yes, I'm in communication with the mayor's office. I've only been in the job for a month. They've been very helpful in helping me get situated here. But they have not tried to direct my activities or tell me what to do."
Fairley, whose appointment awaits City Council confirmation, said being more transparent will mean balancing the public's right to know with the need not to jeopardize ongoing investigations.
"The difference is we are no longer going to be standing by a hard-and-fast rule that we will never discuss the details of an investigation until it's complete," she said. "I think that that position is now untenable in the world that we're in."
Fairley also disclosed that she has reached out to a former IPRA investigator who has alleged in a lawsuit that Fairley's predecessor fired him because he ruled that several police-involved shootings were not justified and refused to change his findings.
Fairley said she's dedicated her afternoons this month to delve deeper into the investigations handled by Lorenzo Davis.
"I have actually reached out to him because I'd like to hear his story," she said.
Davis could not immediately be reached Monday for comment.
Fairley was named to the post after the release of a disturbing police dash-cam video showing a Chicago police officer shooting Laquan McDonald 16 times roiled the city.
Civil rights attorneys and the news media have documented many failings with the office over the years. A Tribune examination, published last month, found flaws with its handling of police-involved shootings.
Fairley also announced new leadership at IPRA, including the hiring of Annette Moore, Associate Director of Admissions from the University of Chicago Law School, to be her chief of staff. She also hired Jay Westensee as chief investigator from the city's inspector general's office, where Fairley also once worked.
jgorner@tribpub.com
