Community members are amplifying their demands for action against eight Chicago Police Department officers with reported ties to the far-right Oath Keepers group. During a town hall organized on the Northwest Side, activists and elected officials voiced their concerns, led by figures such as 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, who told ABC7, "It's dangerous to allow these elements to continue to be in the Chicago Police Department, to be even called public servants."
The Oath Keepers, identified as an anti-government militia involved in the January 6th Capitol riot, has seen members of its ranks within the CPD being called out, though the officers in question have faced no disciplinary action after the Bureau of Internal Affairs found allegations of wrongdoing "not sustained," still The Office of Inspector General has pressed the department to reopen the investigation, citing deficiencies that might change its outcome. In light of these concerns, and echoing fears expressed by 17th Police District Council member Elizabeth Rochford who told the Chicago Sun-Times about her fear for "the Black and Brown neighbors as well as anyone from marginalized communities," the community's call for a civilian task force to address extremism in the force has grown louder.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling have previously committed to zero tolerance for officers with extremist ties, yet, despite the vocal concerns, the call for reexamining the officers involved has been met with hesitation on the part of CPD. With the officers red-flagged for their alleged connections to the Oath Keepers, activists like Frank Chapman underscored to ABC7 the dissatisfaction with internal investigations, likening it to "the worm investigating its tail."
