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Clergy Want To Help Pick Director Of Police Misconduct Board

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Prominent African American clergy are demanding the Mayor talk to them before picking a new director for the police misconduct board, reports WBBM's John Cody.

Clergy Want To Help Pick Police Review Authority Director

The Reverend Marshall Hatch says it took a civilian jury only three hours to find police wrongfully killed 18-year-old Aaron Harrison, while the police review authority took months to find the killing was justified.

"The joke is that the Independent Police Review Authority as it is structured somehow operates in the interests of civilian rights in cases of police misconduct. Less than one percent of those cases are found sustained. That is a joke," said Hatch.

The Independent Police Review Authority held Harrison raised a gun at police, despite five witnesses who said there was no gun. The jury found otherwise and awarded Harrison's family $8.5 million.

Members of the Leadership Network want community leaders to help pick the new police review board director and want a civilian board of clergy, legal and civic leaders to review the police boards work every year.

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