Chicago police 18th District 1863 tactical team officers reassigned after 'problematic pattern' of traffic stops turned searches
Three officers assigned to a controversial tactical team accused of unlawfully stopping and searching drivers along Chicago's Michigan Avenue have had their police powers stripped, a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department confirmed to the ABC7 I-Team.
The news comes after months of reporting from the I-Team about misconduct complaints leading to discipline, and lawsuits leading to costly payouts, all focused on the CPD's 1863 tactical unit.
Drivers who spoke to the I-Team said there's a well-documented pattern of humiliation.
"I was so scared," said driver Desmen Northington, who was pulled over by the tactical team off of the Mag Mile last September. "I had my phone in my hand and I was trying to say, 'Hey, Siri, call Dad.'"
Northington and other drivers said a routine night of shopping drastically changed when officers initiated what critics call a "pretextual stop" - a traffic stop that allows officers to investigate a crime unrelated to the original alleged traffic law violation the driver was pulled over for.
Recorded on the officers' body-worn cameras, one officer told Northington, "Dude, we do this about 100 times a night. You think you're the only one?"
Now, the I-Team has learned that officer, and two others, have been "relieved of their police powers," according to Chicago police.
Relieving a Chicago officer of their police powers means they have to surrender their service weapon and badge, and can no longer make arrests.
ABC 7 is not naming the officers because they have not been charged with a crime.
A CPD spokesperson told the I-Team all three officers have been reassigned to the Alternate Response Section, which is responsible for taking non-emergency police reports for incidents like property damage or lost property, excluding firearms.
CPD did not respond to questions asking why the officers were relieved of their police powers. When the I-Team last reported on the 1863 Tactical team on August 18, CPD said all three officers were still sworn and active within the department, so the change occurred in the last 30 days.
Civil rights attorney Jordan Marsh has filed multiple lawsuits against the officers on behalf of drivers he says were victimized by the squad.
"I hope more dominoes fall," Marsh said, responding to the news of the officers relieved of police powers. "I think this team is a hazard."
After filing multiple Freedom of Information Act requests, the I-Team revealed last month that police leaders were warned of "concerns" and "problematic patterns" by this tactical unit last year by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).
COPA is the independent city agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct.
In a letter dated December 27, 2024, a Director of Investigations for COPA informed the 18th District Commander that, "Over the past year, [ COPA had ] received over 50 complaints related to... the 1863 tactical team."
COPA said more than "90% of the complaints involved Black drivers, despite Black residents comprising only 6% of the district's population."
The I-Team found no record of a formal response by Chicago police to COPA's specific concerns about the 1863 tactical team, but in a letter addressed to COPA leadership nearly three months later, also obtained by the I-Team through a FOIA request, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling requested that per city rules, all further communication go through him, rather than directly with district leadership.
Chicago police have previously told the I-Team Superintendent Snelling is "committed to implementing a new traffic stop policy... rooted in constitutional policing" that could include new restrictions on when officers can search vehicles.
No timeline has been given on when that new policy will be finalized, or when it will go into effect.
Attorney Marsh believes more action is needed.
"Once that memo came out, these officers, the entire team, should have been reassigned," Marsh told the I-Team on Friday. "Since that time, dozens, if not hundreds, of people, additional people have been victimized."
