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IPRA Chief Says Allegations Leveled By Fired Investigator Without Merit

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The head of the agency that investigates allegations of police brutality has told aldermen its reviews are now more comprehensive, and being resolved faster.

The most frequent complaint at previous budget hearings had been about how long the Independent Police Review Authority takes to investigate allegations of officer misconduct, but chief administrator Scott Ando told aldermen IPRA has managed to reduce caseloads for investigators, and the backlog of cases.

"What we've managed to do over the last year-and-a-half – particularly this past year – was bring our inventory of open cases down to what it is now, which is about 410," he said. "As recently as 2011 it was 2,200-plus."

Ando said the caseload for investigators has been sharply reduced, so they're reaching better conclusions.

He also defended how the agency handled the firing of an investigator who has since sued the city, claiming the results of his investigations were wrongly changed by superiors. Former IPRA investigator Lorenzo Davis has claimed he was dismissed because he found some police-involved shootings unjustified, and his bosses changed the results of those cases.

"I firmly believe, and I strongly contend that every allegation that was put forth in that lawsuit, and that has been reported by the media, is absolutely without merit," Ando said.

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Ando said all IPRA investigations are subject to review.

"In that review, we make sure that every case is complete; that all the interviews have been done, that all the evidence has been gathered, that it is absolutely complete," he said. "A subordinate cannot submit work that is incomplete or incorrect, and expect the supervisor to sign off on it. It has to be corrected."

Ando said those reviews also ensure an unbiased investigation of each case. He would not say more about the pending lawsuit.

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