Chicago mayor expresses welcome to federal gov't probe into city police practices

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Monday morning that he welcome the announcement of the U.S. Department of Justice about a probe into the Chicago Police Department's practices.

Mayor Emanuel, who had been reported to oppose a federal investigation at first, released a statement at his official Twitter account to show a change of mind, pledging the city's full cooperation with the federal investigators.

"Our mutual goal is to create a stronger, better Police Department that keeps the community safe while respecting the civil rights of every Chicagoan. Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of our residents and ensuring that the men and women of our Police Department have the tools, resources and training they need to be effective crime fighters, stay safe, and build community trust." Rahm Emanuel said in the statement.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday announced that the U.S. Justice Department had opened a probe into the Chicago Police Department's practices following the release of a video clip showing the white officer shooting dead 17-year-old black young man Laquan McDonald.

Continuous tensions heightened in Chicago, Illinois, after the release of the video clip. More than 1,000 protesters took to the North Michigan Street, Chicago's most bustling shopping street, on Nov. 27, disrupting business on Americans' busiest shopping day of the year, to protest the fatal shooting and the city's handling of the case, calling for the resignation of the police superintendent and of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who already said he won't resign.

Chicago's police chief Garry McCarthy was fired by Rahm Emmanuel on Dec. 2 , a week after tensions flared up over the release of the graphic video clip. Endit