The Chicago Police Department officer charged in the shooting death of a black teen has been hired by the police union as a janitor and “jack-of-all trades.”
Officer Jason Van Dyke, a white officer who was suspended from the police department after being charged last year for murdering Laquan McDonald, will make $12 an hour at the Fraternal Order of Police hall in the city’s West Loop, union president Dean Angelo told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday night.
Stay informed.Stay ahead.
Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most.
Already a member? Log in
According to Angelo, this is slightly above what a typical unarmed security guard is paid.
“He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need,” Angelo said, adding that Van Dyke’s hiring is not unprecedented. “We’ve probably had 100 people in no-pay status who we got jobs or hired at the hall. This is nothing new.”
Van Dyke has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges stemming from the October 2014 shooting. In a video, he is seen firing 16 shots at the 17-year-old McDonald, who is seen walking away from police.
Van Dyke posted the $150,000 required of his $1.5 million bail in late December. At court in January, his Attorney Dan Herbert said he plans to seek a change of venue in the case because he believes it will be difficult to find an unbiased jury in Cook County.
McDonald’s shooting death prompted a Justice Department investigation of the police department and the Dec. 1 firing of department Supt. Garry McCarthy.
Protests outside the Fraternal Order of Police are planned for 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. Central time, according to activists on social media.
