Allegations of misconduct surround officers who raided woman’s home in 2019

Anjanette Young was handcuffed for nearly 17 minutes while in her home

May 2, 2021

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability announced on Thursday the completion of the 16-month investigation into the 2019 wrongful raid conducted on the home of Anjanette Young, a Chicago social worker. Young was forced to stand naked and handcuffed in her home, according to the Associated Press.

Chicago’s civilian police oversight agency said it found nearly 100 allegations of misconduct by about a dozen officers who raided Young’s residence on Feb. 21, 2019, according to the AP.

Anjanette Young tears up Wednesday as she talks about a botched Chicago police raid of her house in February 2019. — Anjanette Young (Courtesy of *Chicago Sun-Times*)

According to COPA, Young was naked when officers broke into her apartment and she was immediately handcuffed. The agency said an officer made an attempt to partially cover her with a jacket 30 seconds after police entered, and she was covered with a blanket more fully a few seconds after that. Young remained handcuffed for nearly 10 minutes, after which she was allowed to dress before being handcuffed again. She was handcuffed for nearly 17 minutes in total, according to the AP.

“The raid of Ms. Young’s home was truly painful to watch,” said COPA Chief Administrator Sydney Roberts, who also said the agency assembled a 10-member team to evaluate the critical Fourth Amendment issues raised in this complaint. “While we cannot fully heal the pain Ms. Young experienced on that day and ever since, we hope that our investigation and recommendations will enable the healing process.”

Video of the home invasion was released to Young as part of her lawsuit against the city of Chicago, and shows her telling officers they were raiding the wrong apartment. The video was broadcast by a local television station, which inspired cutting criticism of Chicago police, reported the AP.

Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown speaks at a news conference on Monday, July 27, 2020. — Superintendent David Brown (Courtesy of Teresa Crawford/AP)

“Ms. Young is not encouraged by this (release) in any way, and instead she continues to demand accountability for every officer that was present and any officer that was in any way involved in the approval of this warrant and the execution of this outrageous raid [on] her home,” said Attorney Simone Jackson, Young’s legal representative, in a statement.

The completion of the investigation into the raid at Young’s home comes as COPA investigates the fatal police shootings of two young men, Adam Toledo, 13, who was chased and killed despite discarding his weapon and raising his hands moments before being shot, and Anthony Alvarez, 22, who was shot as his back was turned, reported the AP.

COPA handed their findings over to Superintendent David Brown, but refuse to release them publicly until Brown has reviewed them. COPA did say that they found deficiencies in officers’ acquisition and execution of search warrants, according to the AP.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!