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A Chicago Police officer who was caught bragging on camera about having killed someone, was reportedly assigned to a safety team designed to improve police-community relations.
Officer James Hunt was captured on video boasting "I kill motherf*****s" to a group of Black youths back in 2018. The incident saw Kenneth Lee, the subject of Hunt's vulgar rant, lodge more than two dozen complaints and successfully sue the city for a $100,000 settlement after the officer was found to have "intentionally escalated the situation."
Since the incident and a suspension suggestion by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, Hunt has been serving on the Chicago Police Department's Community Safety Team, according to a review by CBS Chicago.
Hunt was assigned to the unit around the time it was formed in July 2020 and was only reassigned this month when questions were asked about his suitability to be placed on the team, the outlet reports.
The unit was introduced to forge stronger relationships between police and residents in order to combat a rise in violent crime reportedly as a result of the pandemic, team head Deputy Chief Mike Barz said.
However, a troubling track record unearthed by CBS from an analysis of Chicago Police Department data raises questions as to why Hunt was assigned to the team in the first place. The analysis reportedly showed Hunt had racked up more use of force reports than almost any other officer during his time as a CPD officer.
With 28 reports between 2016 and July 2020, he has the fifth-most stops during that period, along with three other officers, the outlet reports. The reports also include at least 24 complaints made by civilians for racist language, excessive force, illegal searches and false arrests, according to a CBS analysis of records from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), which handles citizen complaints against police.
Regarding Hunt's behavior exhibited in previous incidents, COPA said the officer "did more harm to breakdown [sic] police/public relations than witnessed in a long time."
Former CPD sergeant Richard Schak said the fact that Hunt was on the team "looks terrible" and suggested the department's accountability system had failed.
CPD Spokesperson Don Terry said that the Community Safety Team was formed from officers previously on several other specialized units, one of which included Hunt, and that "as soon as this issue was identified, Officer Hunt was reassigned from the unit."
Newsweek has contacted the Chicago Police Department for comment.
