City To Settle Two Wrong Chicago Police Raids For Nearly Half Million Dollars

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Taxpayers will spend nearly a half million dollars to settle two cases in which police officers raided the wrong homes.

CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini has uncovered a systematic problem with CPD raiding wrong homes, and traumizting innocent victims, including pointing guns at children.  Savini's reporting formed the basis for a CBS 2 documentary on the problem, titled "[un]warranted."

In the first case, cops busted into Naseem Stevens' house while he was sleeping. They were serving a warrant on a kidnapping and sexual assault investigation, but had the wrong apartment.  The City of Chicago is settling this case for $200,000.

In the second case. Erick Smith and Wivionia Haywood Jones say a neighbor called 911 to complain about the smell of someone "burning cannabis."

[scribd id=429489748 key=key-LpPZw3gz0uw6xOvzGD8o mode=scroll]

According to the lawsuit, based only on that call, police officers raided the victims' home without a warrant, found nothing, and had the person who called 911 sign a blank police report that the officers used to arrest Smith and charge him with assault.

Charges were later dropped.

The city is settling for $295,000.

Those settlements are expected to be approved on Thursday by the City Council's Finanace Committee.