Chicago City Council approves $2.9 million settlement with Anjanette Young

The Chicago City Council has approved a $2.9 million settlement with Anjanette Young, the woman who was handcuffed while naked when officers wrongfully raided her apartment. The council voted 48-0 on Wednesday to approve the settlement, according to CBS Chicago.

Prior to the vote, Alderman Jeanette Taylor said, “$2.9 million might seem like a lot, but it will never give Ms. Young back her dignity and respect, and the trust that she’s lost.”

On February 21, 2019, police incorrectly raided Young’s apartment. The actual target of the raid lived next door and was wearing an electronic monitoring device that police should have been able to track, according to CBS Chicago. Young was changing her clothes when the raid occurred, and police immediately put her in handcuffs without allowing her to get dressed.

Bodycam video of the raid showed Young pleading with the officers, telling them they had the wrong home. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said its investigation found that Young was left handcuffed naked for nearly 10 minutes. During that time, an officer attempted to cover her with a jacket, and then later a blanket. She was eventually allowed to change and was then placed in handcuffs again. Young was handcuffed for almost 17 minutes total, the office said.

CBS Chicago first reported on Young’s case as part of an investigation into a pattern of Chicago police raids on the wrong residences.

Several city council members on Wednesday expressed support for the “Anjanette Young Ordinance,” which would radically reform the way the Chicago Police Department executes search warrants. While certain reforms have already been announced, such as requiring a lieutenant or higher be present for any raid and an independent investigation be conducted beforehand to verify the information used to obtain the search warrant, the proposed ordinance would go even further.

The ordinance would require law enforcement to knock, announce themselves and wait a minimum of 30 seconds before breaking down a door during a raid. Bodycams would be required to stay on for the entirety of a raid and children would not be allowed to be handcuffed under the provisions of the ordinance.

The ordinance was introduced five months ago, but has not yet gotten a hearing, CBS Chicago reported.