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Despite Videos, Many Police Force Cases Still Under Investigation

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Among the dozens of video and audio recordings from investigations into police use of force released by the city on Friday, many of the cases under review by the Independent Police Review Authority date back two to four years, or more.

Critics want to know why IPRA takes so long to investigate allegations of police misconduct, and why cases remain in limbo long after criminal charges and civil lawsuits have been resolved; especially in cases where there is video evidence.

Last year, an off-duty police officer working security at a Portillo's restaurant repeatedly struck a Canadian tourist.

A 2014 video shows another officer hitting a bystander.

Video from a police lockup in 2012 shows police repeatedly using a Taser on Philip Coleman, choking him, striking him with batons, and dragging his apparently unconscious body along a corridor floor after he suffered a mental breakdown.

Those are just three of at least 101 open cases at IPRA.

"There is no excuse for that," said University of Chicago Law School professor Craig Futterman, who was part of the team that successfully fought to force the release of the video of Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014.

He said investigations of alleged police brutality should be completed within six months, but 45 percent of the 101 open cases at IPRA date from 2011 to 2014.

In one of those cases, in 2012, Ismael Jamison had just attacked CTA passengers when he was shot by police. He survived, but almost four years later, IPRA still hasn't ruled on the case, leaving the officers involved in limbo.

"We all know that timeliness has plagued this agency," IPRA director Sharon Fairley said Friday.

Fairley admitted the agency has been slow to act, despite having videos in so many cases.

"We all agree that there's a lack of trust, and that increased transparency is essential to building that trust"

Attorney Rahsaan Gordon represents Lisa Simmons and Jeremiah Smith, who sued the Chicago Police Department for brutality in a 2014 incident, after police responded to a loud block party. Video of the incident shows an officer slamming Simmons into a squad car and striking Smith in the head with a baton.

Gordon said his clients were cleared of criminal charges in the case, and the city settled their lawsuit, but IPRA's case against the officer is still open.

"Waiting so long, it's impossible to build trust," he said. "Once you have a video, it really doesn't get better than that, so the question becomes what type of evidence does IPRA really need?"

The Fraternal Order of Police, the union representing police officers, also said IPRA needs to conclude its cases faster.

"If you have something to address with an officer, address it. End it, so they can move on," said Chicago FOP President Dean Angelo.

Other complaints against IPRA include too many officers being cleared of wrongdoing. Of the 409 police-involved shootings since 2007, IPRA has ruled only two were the result of misconduct.

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