A Chicago police officer won’t be fired for fraternizing with members of the far right Proud Boys and failing to tell police officials he had come under FBI scrutiny, the city’s watchdog announced Friday.
Other allegations, including that Bakker associated with known criminals and members of the Proud Boys, weren’t sustained.
The inspector general’s office urged the department to revisit the investigation in November 2020 “to address deficiencies materially affecting the outcome,” according to the report. The inspector general’s office found that the internal affairs bureau “failed to account for all available evidence,” noting also that Bakker may have discredited the department and made inconsistent statements to the FBI and the BIA.
But instead of reconsidering the initial allegations, as requested by the inspector general’s office, the internal affairs bureau raised new issues. Allegations that Bakker “made a contradicting statement” about his role in a Proud Boys’ chat group and lied about attending a barbecue sponsored by the group were sustained, but others weren’t.
The bureau used a mediation agreement to resolve the case, but the inspector general’s office urged Supt. David Brown to review the evidence and consider whether Bakker broke departmental rules by lying and making contradictory statements.Last June, the Sun-Times reported that Bakker was the subject of multiple internal investigations, including a probe into allegations of sexual abuse. It’s unclear whether those investigations have been resolved.