CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago’s City Council is expected to approve a $2.5 million settlement of an excessive-force lawsuit that accused police of traumatizing a 3-year-old girl, including by pointing a gun at her chest and striking her handcuffed mother.
A lawyer for Aretha Simmons, the girl’s mom, says Chicago Police Department reforms in the works don’t address how officers treat children during arrests. Attorney Al Hofeld Jr. says “it is not even on CPD’s radar.”
A 2017 Justice Department report criticized police, including for too often using excessive force. The city pledged to overhaul police procedures and training.
The City Council votes on the settlement Wednesday.
Its finance committee already approved it. A city lawyer told the committee she agreed the girl remains traumatized and would likely require psychiatric treatment into adulthood.
