Ex-police review authority supervisor awarded $2.8 million

CHICAGO – The former supervisor of a defunct Chicago police oversight agency has been awarded $2.8 million after he sued the city over his dismissal.

Lorenzo Davis says he was fired from the Independent Police Review Authority for refusing to change findings in police shootings he considered unjustified.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a Cook County jury decided in Davis’ favour Thursday.

IPRA was dissolved last year amid criticism of its investigations into shootings by officers.

Davis also is a retired Chicago police commander. He initially sued IPRA in 2015, but that lawsuit was dismissed after a federal judge determined Davis’ refusal to change his findings was not protected free speech under the First Amendment.

Lawyers refiled the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, suing the city under Illinois’ whistleblower law.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com