Latest news with #COPA
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Berkshire Biomedical Awarded NIH Research Grant to Support Clinical Study Program to Evaluate Patient Retention and Other Benefits of the COPA™ System for Take-Home Methadone Medication Management
Funds from the Two-Phase Fast-Track SBIR Grant, Combined, Would Total Approximately $2.9 Million DALLAS, June 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Biomedical Corporation ("Berkshire" or "the Company"), focused on developing its proprietary drug dispensing technology to enhance patient wellness, today announced that it has been awarded the first phase of a two-phase Fast-Track Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant (1 R44DA061908-01A1) from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Valued at approximately $2.9 million over 30 months, the two-phase grant will support execution of a clinical study to evaluate patient retention and other benefits of the Company's COPA™ System for Take-Home Methadone Medication Management as part of Medication for Opioid User Disorder (MOUD) treatment. Phase I funds of approximately $326,400 will support the execution of a single-site study. Receipt of the approximate $2.55 million Phase II award will support the execution of an open-label, randomized, parallel multi-site study, which will be contingent on an assessment of the Phase I report, as well as the review and approval of any other documentation necessary for continuation and availability of NIH funds. COPA is a novel, oral liquid dispensing system specifically designed to deliver accurate and precise doses of controlled and non-controlled prescription medications to only an Authenticated Intended User (AIU™), upon confirmation of dual biometric identifications (fingerprint and dentition) prior to each dose, with the goal of enhancing patient wellness and providing remote monitoring. "The Fast-Track SBIR grant process is highly competitive, with only 18% of applicants having been chosen under this program in 2023, alone," stated John Timberlake, Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire. This is Berkshire's second Fast-Track SBIR Grant from NIH. The Company received an initial two-phased award totaling $2.2 million (1R44DA057185) in 2022 which extended through 2024, to complete the development of the COPA system. Berkshire's receipt of this newest award reflects the NIH's continued belief in the strength of the technology behind COPA and its potential to significantly increase access to Opioid Treatment Programs for persons suffering from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) by dramatically increasing the number of persons being allowed to utilize take home therapy." Mr. Timberlake continued, "The requirement to travel to an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) clinic, daily, has been shown to reduce treatment retention and deter some patients from even starting treatment. A mixed methods study found that take-home dose flexibility among stable patients was associated with receiving more take homes, higher rates of treatment retention, and lower rates of opioid-positive drug tests. Higher retention rates in opioid use disorder medication among patients with OUD were, therefore, associated with better outcomes. There have been a considerable number of retrospective studies evaluating opioid use disorder treatment retention; however, there are very few prospective comparison studies." About the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)NIDA is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug use and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy, improve practice, and advance addiction science. For more information about NIDA and its programs, visit About the National Institutes of Health (NIH)NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit About Berkshire Biomedical Corporation Berkshire Biomedical Corporation is a privately held medical device company. Berkshire is pioneering the use of biometric technologies, combined with encrypted HIPAA compliant cloud-based and healthcare provider-enabled remote management systems, to provide precise and accurate personalized medication delivery to only the Authenticated Intended User (AIU). The Company's lead product under development, the Computerized Oral Prescription Administration System (COPA), is a hand-held, automated, personalized oral liquid dispensing system designed and intended to deliver controlled and non-controlled liquid oral medications to only the AIU upon confirmation of dual biometric identification (fingerprint and dentition). Upon receiving regulatory authorization, the Company intends to initially seek opportunities to leverage COPA in the delivery and remote management of oral liquid medication methadone, for Medication Use for Opioid Use Disorder treatment and subsequently for the delivery of controlled medications for the treatment of pain, as those patients have the greatest need for the benefits of COPA's features. In addition, the Company will look to expand COPA use in broader drug therapeutic categories, clinical applications, and businesses that manage the commercialization and data analytics provided by electronic devices to improve outcomes and reduce risk. Additional information about Berkshire Biomedical and the COPA System can be found at The COPA™ System is currently under development, has NOT been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is not available for commercial sale. Disclaimer: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R44DA057185 and R44DA061908-01A1. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. CONTACT: Berkshire Biomedical Corporationinfo@ Melody CareyFounder, President, and CEORx Communications Group, LLCmcarey@ View original content: SOURCE Berkshire Biomedical Corporation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Barnama
3 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
U Mobile Appoints CIMB As Loan Coordinator For RM4 Bln 5G Funding
KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- U Mobile has appointed CIMB as the company's loan coordinator and mandated lead arranger to facilitate and arrange financing of up to RM4 billion to support the nationwide deployment of its cutting-edge 5G network infrastructure. In a joint statement, U Mobile said the financing would fund its capital expenditure (capex) to accelerate the rollout of its Next Gen 5G network, which aims to achieve 80 per cent coverage of populated areas (COPA) by July 2026. As part of the arrangement, CIMB intends to participate in the financing of at least RM1.5 billion, with the balance to be syndicated among other financial institutions.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ballad Health's Hospital Monopoly Underperformed. Then Tennessee Lowered the Bar.
The Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, is part of the Ballad Health hospital system. (Brett Kelman/KFF Health News) Despite years of patient complaints and quality-of-care concerns, Ballad Health — the nation's largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly — will now be held to a lower standard by the Tennessee government, and state data that holds the monopoly accountable will be kept from the public for two years. Ballad is the only option for hospital care for most of the approximately 1.1 million people in a 29-county swath of Appalachia. Such a monopoly would normally be prohibited by federal law. But under deals negotiated with Tennessee and Virginia years ago, the monopoly is permitted if both states affirm each year that it is an overall benefit to the public. However, according to a newly renegotiated agreement between Ballad and Tennessee, the monopoly can now be considered a 'clear and convincing' benefit to the public with performance that would earn a 'D' on most A-to-F grading scales. And the monopoly can be allowed to continue even with a score that most would consider an 'F.' Six years into an Appalachia hospital monopoly, patients are fearful and furious 'It's an extreme disservice to the people of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia,' said Dani Cook, who has organized protests against Ballad's monopoly for years. 'We shouldn't have lowered the bar. We should be raising the bar.' The Ballad monopoly, which encompasses 20 hospitals and straddles the border of Tennessee and Virginia, was created in 2018 after lawmakers in both states, in an effort to prevent hospital closures, waived federal antitrust laws so two rival health systems could merge. Although Ballad has largely succeeded at keeping its hospitals open, staffing shortages and patient complaints have left some residents wary, afraid, or unwilling to seek care at Ballad hospitals, according to an investigation by KFF Health News published last year. In Tennessee, the Ballad monopoly is regulated through a 10-year Certificate of Public Advantage agreement, or COPA — now in its seventh year — that establishes the state's goals and a scoring rubric for hospital performance. Tennessee Department of Health documents show Ballad has fallen short of about three-fourths of the state's quality-of-care goals over the past four fiscal years. But the monopoly has been allowed to continue, at least in part, because the scoring rubric doesn't prioritize quality of care, according to the documents. Angie Odom, a county commissioner in Tennessee's Carter County, where leaders have clashed with Ballad, said she has driven her 12-year-old daughter more than 100 miles to Knoxville to avoid surgery at a Ballad hospital. After years of disappointment in Tennessee's oversight of the monopoly, Odom said she was 'not surprised' by Ballad's new grading scale. 'They've made a way that they can fail and still pass,' she said. Virginia regulates Ballad with a different agreement and scoring method, and its reviews generally track about one or two years behind Tennessee's. Both states have found Ballad to be an overall benefit in every year they've released a decision. Neither Ballad Health nor the Tennessee Department of Health, which has the most direct oversight of the monopoly, answered questions submitted in writing about the renegotiated agreement. In an emailed statement, Molly Luton, a Ballad spokesperson, said the company's quality of care has steadily improved in recent years, and she raised repeated complaints from the hospital system about KFF Health News' reporting. The news organization has reviewed every complaint from Ballad and has never found a correction or clarification to be warranted in the coverage. Tennessee Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado, who has more than once described the regulation of Ballad Health as a matter of national importance, has declined or not responded to more than a dozen interview requests from KFF Health News to discuss the monopoly. 'Our effort and progress serve as a model for health care in Tennessee, the Appalachia Region, and the entire nation,' Alvarado said in a May news release about the monopoly, adding, 'We do not take our role lightly as we remain committed to transparency in our COPA oversight.' Tennessee's revised agreement was negotiated behind closed doors for more than a year and announced to the public in early May. As part of that announcement, Tennessee said it wouldn't score Ballad next year, to give the company time to adjust to the new scoring process. Under that process, the minimum score Ballad needs to meet to show a 'clear and convincing' public benefit has been lowered from 85 out of 100 to 70 out of 100. The new agreement also awards Ballad up to 20 points for providing Tennessee with data and records — for example, a report on patient satisfaction — regardless of the level of performance documented. The state can also raise or lower Ballad's overall score by up to 5 points in light of 'reputable information' that is not spelled out in the scoring rubric. Therefore, Ballad can score as low as 65 out of 100, with nearly a third of that score awarded for merely giving information to the state, and still be found to be a 'clear and convincing' benefit to the public, which is the highest finding Tennessee can bestow, according to the agreement. And Ballad could score as low as 55 out of 100 without the monopoly facing a risk of being broken up, according to the new agreement. The agreement also increases how much of Ballad's annual score is directly attributed to the quality of care provided in its hospitals, from 5% to 32%. But the agreement obscures how this will be measured. Tennessee sets 'baseline' goals for Ballad across dozens of quality-of-care issues — like infection rates and speed of emergency room care — and then tracks whether Ballad meets the goals. The new agreement resets these baselines to values that were not made public, leaving it unclear how much the goals for Ballad have changed. Health department spokesperson Dean Flener said the new baselines would not be disclosed until 2027. Cook, the longtime leader of protests against Ballad, said she believes Tennessee is attempting to silence data-supported criticism until the final year of the 10-year COPA agreement, which ends in 2028. By then, any outrage would be largely moot, she said. 'If you are going to wait until the last year to tell us the new measurements, why bother?' Cook said. 'It is clear, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Tennessee Department of Health is putting the needs and concerns of a corporation above the health and well-being of people.' KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Problem traffic stops predated Dexter Reed killing by police
The five tactical officers for months were on the radar of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. From mid-2023 through March 2024 — the month 26-year-old Dexter Reed was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand — those five cops were named in at least four separate COPA investigations that stemmed from traffic stops initiated in the Chicago Police Department's Harrison District (11th). The fatal shooting of Reed, a former basketball player at Westinghouse College Prep high school who shot a police officer moments before he was killed, laid bare longstanding tensions between Chicago's police and the investigators who probe officers' use of deadly force. The officers involved repeatedly violated rules involving motorist traffic stops, investigators found. And, after months of public discord, the leaders of the city's police department and its oversight agency reached the same conclusion: The officers needed to be suspended. Those findings came after the stop that wound up costing Reed his life, but they highlight the problems such a pattern can create when officers put themselves in harm's way with improper stops. Chicago police still are working to prevent that kind of policework even as turmoil in the police disciplinary structure appears to be subsiding. Prior stops The 3900 block of West Van Buren has been a hotspot for drug and gang activity for years. On Friday, March 1, 2024, just after sunset, a man sat in his vehicle with his brother in the front passenger seat outside his apartment building near the end of the block. The car was stationary, but its headlights were on, according to records made public by COPA last month. Moments later, the men were boxed in by two unmarked CPD squad cars. The lead officer asked the driver for his license, but he didn't have it. He was then asked for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card and Concealed Carry License. He didn't have either and denied any weapons were in the vehicle. Both men were ordered out and patted down. The front and rear compartments of the vehicle were searched. Nothing was found. The officers told the men they were detained because the vehicle's lights were on while stationary — an unlawful interpretation of Chicago's municipal code, COPA later found. No arrests were made and the officers did not provide any sort of documentation for the traffic stop. The officers then turned off their body-worn cameras and left. 'In the absence of legal authority to detain these two members of the public, the officers' actions constitute an unlawful restraint,' COPA investigators later wrote. The man in the driver's seat alleged that the officers wouldn't provide him their names and badge numbers. Soon after the stop concluded, the man requested that a CPD sergeant come to the scene so he could file a complaint. Just minutes later, the tactical officers were about half-mile north in the 4000 block of West Wilcox, where they placed a man under arrest for allegedly possessing an illegal handgun. Cook County court records show that case is still pending. The next week, on Wednesday, March 6, the officers were involved in another traffic stop, this one in the 3800 block of West Jackson. Around 5 p.m., the team curbed the driver of a Maserati who, they said, was unbuckled, speeding and eating while driving. Another officer later told the driver he was stopped because the vehicle had tinted windows. The driver gave his license to one of the officers and was soon ordered out of his car. He initially refused, though, and requested that a sergeant come to the scene. Another of the officers threatened to arrest the man for obstruction of justice. The driver then acquiesced, and the officers searched him and the car. While standing outside the vehicle, the man requested the officers' names and badge numbers. He was again threatened with arrest, COPA records show. The search turned up nothing, and the officers disabled their body-worn cameras and left the area. A misconduct complaint was filed later that day. Friction in disciplinary structure Traveling in unmarked squad cars, often in plainclothes attire, tactical officers are frequently the first cops to respond to shootings or other high-priority calls for service. In the Harrison District — the epicenter of Chicago's narcotics trade and one of the most violent parts of the city — 'tact teams' stay busy. Civilian complaints of misconduct are common, though most are not sustained by investigators. CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling's frustration with then-COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten was apparent for much of 2024. Inside COPA, friction among managers and allegations of biased investigations prompted Kersten to resign earlier this year. Despite the public tensions, CPD ultimately agreed with COPA's assessment that the tactical officers should be suspended for repeatedly violating CPD rules related to traffic stops.. CPD said those five officers should be off the street, collectively, for 109 days for their behavior during four traffic stops on the West Side that occurred in the months before the Reed shooting. One of those five quit CPD in November 2024. The officer who was shot may not be able to perform police duties in the future, a police source recently told the Tribune. CPD is now working to develop and implement a new traffic stops policy, the first draft of which was released last month. Though nothing is set in stone, the draft of the new policy would allow officers to continue using pretextual traffic stops as a means to go after guns and drugs. Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson nominated an interim leader of COPA as the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability continues the search for Kersten's permanent replacement. The officers still with CPD are on administrative duty, according to a department spokesperson. Of CPD's 22 patrol districts, the Harrison District — roughly bounded by Roosevelt Road, Division Street and Western and Cicero avenues — usually ranks near the top in narcotics arrests and shootings. Police activity is often highest in and around the blocks closest to the Eisenhower Expressway, along Pulaski Road, as well as the intersection of Chicago and Homan avenues. 'What I've seen from police officers in my district is they use traffic stops as a way of going around some of the limitations that they're finding and trying to enforce drug laws,' Brian Ramson, one of the Harrison District Councilors, said last month. Dexter Reed Nine days before his death, Dexter Reed had court. It was a status hearing for a gun charge that came the previous July after he was arrested with a revolver near the Windy City Smokeout festival outside the United Center. Another hearing was set for the following month. Court filings show that the years leading up to Reed's death were marked by physical, emotional and financial hardship. He survived a shooting in 2021, though he spent months in the hospital recovering. 'I'm physically disabled and mentally unstable with PTSD, short-term memory loss, slurred speech, drop foot in one of my legs, blindness in one eye, shoulder/arm hard to move, weakness and/or sensitivity,' Reed wrote in a 2023 court filing. On March 21, 2024, Reed was driving in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand when his vehicle was boxed in by the team of tactical officers. Police bodycam footage shows the officers exit an unmarked police vehicle, draw their weapons and repeatedly order Reed to roll down his SUV's tinted windows. Reed initially complied and rolled down his window, but he appeared to disregard the officers' commands to roll down the window on the passenger side. Moments later, Reed shot the officer standing on the SUV's passenger side. The other four officers then opened fire, shooting dozens of rounds at Reed, who exited the vehicle before falling to the pavement. One officer fired three more shots at Reed as he was lying motionless in the street. That officer shot at least 50 times during the 41 seconds of gunfire. He was one of three officers who reloaded their weapons, according to COPA. An autopsy later found that Reed was shot 13 times. *** Just hours before the fatal gunfire erupted, a Cook County judge entered an order that would allow CPD officers accused of serious misconduct to forgo the Chicago Police Board. The board convened for its monthly meeting that evening, about 90 minutes after the Reed shooting. Both Snellling and Kersten delivered their agency's monthly report to the dozen or so regular meeting attendees. 'I want to also express condolences to members of the Chicago Police Department in light of tonight's events,' Kersten told Snelling shortly after Reed was killed and the officer was wounded. 'I think it just really crystallizes the importance of having these conversations, collaboratively and productively, about how COPA does its job, how the Chicago Police Department lives up to its policies and training, and how we move forward as a city.' It was a striking change in tone from the police board's meeting in February. It was then that Snelling chided COPA investigators for leaning on 'personal opinions and speculation.' Less than two weeks after the Reed shooting, on April 1, Kersten wrote Snelling to note that the officers involved were under investigation for their actions during another traffic stop in the Harrison District. Kersten urged that the officers be stripped of their police powers and placed on desk duty. The body-worn video footage of the Reed shooting was made public on April 9, 2024. Two days later, Kersten was a guest on ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's YouTube show. Kersten did not discuss the facts of the shooting, but her appearance irked CPD leaders and the conservative wing of the City Council. Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, soon filed a complaint against Kersten with the city's Office of Inspector General. Sposato accused Kersten of speaking 'in an accusatory and inappropriate prejudicial tone about facts that have yet to be investigated,' but his letter did not cite examples from her public remarks. A few weeks later, during the April 2024 police board meeting, Kersten addressed the outcry. 'Last week's release of materials and my public comments pertaining to the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed, in which an officer was also shot and wounded, have led to sharp criticisms,' Kersten said. 'This criticism demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of COPA's role and process and smacks of hypocrisy.' 'This is misleading at best,' Snelling said in response. 'There is nothing wrong with transparency, transparency is of the utmost importance,' Snelling added. 'But when information is leaked prior to releasing the video, when statements are made without all of the information, an investigation has to begin. And if we're starting by putting it out in the public in a manner in which we framed it, and we expect the public to see it the way we want them to see it, it's problematic. This is why I've made no statements about this shooting.' Reed's family held a press conference the following week outside the Harrison District station to announce its federal lawsuit against the city. The initial complaint did not mention that Reed shot a police officer before he was killed. Nicole Banks, Reed's mother, told reporters that she watched the police bodycam footage of the shooting 'over and over and over.' 'They executed him,' Banks said through tears. 'He fell down and they put the handcuffs on him. That was not right. In the name of Jesus, I ask that he rest in peace.' Civil rights challenges Police shootings, justified or not, usually lead to some kind of civil litigation. Surviving family members often bring lawsuits that allege civil rights abuses, and CPD officers can ask a judge to undo discipline leveled against them. In August 2024, the Fraternal Order of Police filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of eight CPD officers recommended for discipline by COPA. The union alleged that the agency's investigators and higher-ups 'have engaged in a pattern and practice to treat Police Officers unequally and unfairly. Specifically, Defendant COPA conducts unconstitutional, biased and untimely investigations.' Among the defendants in the FOP's federal suit was Matthew Haynam, COPA's former deputy chief administrator who was fired from the agency, also in August 2024. The next month, Haynam filed a whistleblower lawsuit against COPA in Cook County, alleging that his firing was a result of him speaking out against what he called COPA's anti-police bias. Over that winter, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability was fielding and investigating complaints about COPA's workplace culture and accountability and the quality of its investigations under Kersten's leadership. 'If the police accountability system is or is reasonably perceived to be ineffective or unfair, it will erode public confidence in policing and police oversight,' CCPSA President Anthony Driver and Vice President Remel Terry wrote to Kersten on Jan. 28, 2025. CCPSA told Kersten a no-confidence vote was forthcoming, and she announced her resignation two weeks later amid a purge of leadership in several other city departments. It was a decision, she said, that was in the works for some time. 'What I know to be certain about this issue is that society has forced it into this binary where you're either for or against somehow, as opposed to understanding that, truly, to do this work, to do this kind of accountability reform work, it's not one or the other. It's not 'either-or.' It's not pro-police or against,' Kersten told the Tribune shortly before she left her post. That same month, attorneys for the city and the CPD reached an agreement with Reed's family to settle their federal lawsuit for $1.25 million. In early March 2025, Snelling endorsed the agency's recommendations that the officers be suspended. Haynam then voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against COPA, court records show. Last week, however, Haynam filed a new lawsuit in federal court alleging that his firing was a violation of his First Amendment rights. In April, the City Council voted down the proposed settlement with Reed's family. The FOP's lawsuit against COPA alleging unconstitutional investigations reached its conclusion, too. On April 24, 2025, a federal judge granted the city's motion to dismiss, agreeing that the constitution 'does not protect a police officer's interest in fair and impartial employment investigations.' 'Because COPA's investigation constitutes process rather than a protected property interest, the Court dismisses Plaintiffs' due process claim premised on a property interest in a fair investigation,' wrote U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso.
Chicago Tribune
19-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Problem traffic stops predated Dexter Reed killing by police
The five tactical officers for months were on the radar of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. From mid-2023 through March 2024 — the month 26-year-old Dexter Reed was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand — those five cops were named in at least four separate COPA investigations that stemmed from traffic stops initiated in the Chicago Police Department's Harrison District (11th). The fatal shooting of Reed, a former basketball player at Westinghouse College Prep high school who shot a police officer moments before he was killed, laid bare longstanding tensions between Chicago's police and the investigators who probe officers' use of deadly force. The officers involved repeatedly violated rules involving motorist traffic stops, investigators found. And, after months of public discord, the leaders of the city's police department and its oversight agency reached the same conclusion: The officers needed to be suspended. Those findings came after the stop that wound up costing Reed his life, but they highlight the problems such a pattern can create when officers put themselves in harm's way with improper stops. Chicago police still are working to prevent that kind of policework even as turmoil in the police disciplinary structure appears to be subsiding. Prior stops The 3900 block of West Van Buren has been a hotspot for drug and gang activity for years. On Friday, March 1, 2024, just after sunset, a man sat in his vehicle with his brother in the front passenger seat outside his apartment building near the end of the block. The car was stationary, but its headlights were on, according to records made public by COPA last month. Moments later, the men were boxed in by two unmarked CPD squad cars. The lead officer asked the driver for his license, but he didn't have it. He was then asked for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card and Concealed Carry License. He didn't have either and denied any weapons were in the vehicle. Both men were ordered out and patted down. The front and rear compartments of the vehicle were searched. Nothing was found. The officers told the men they were detained because the vehicle's lights were on while stationary — an unlawful interpretation of Chicago's municipal code, COPA later found. No arrests were made and the officers did not provide any sort of documentation for the traffic stop. The officers then turned off their body-worn cameras and left. 'In the absence of legal authority to detain these two members of the public, the officers' actions constitute an unlawful restraint,' COPA investigators later wrote. The man in the driver's seat alleged that the officers wouldn't provide him their names and badge numbers. Soon after the stop concluded, the man requested that a CPD sergeant come to the scene so he could file a complaint. Just minutes later, the tactical officers were about half-mile north in the 4000 block of West Wilcox, where they placed a man under arrest for allegedly possessing an illegal handgun. Cook County court records show that case is still pending. The next week, on Wednesday, March 6, the officers were involved in another traffic stop, this one in the 3800 block of West Jackson. Around 5 p.m., the team curbed the driver of a Maserati who, they said, was unbuckled, speeding and eating while driving. Another officer later told the driver he was stopped because the vehicle had tinted windows. The driver gave his license to one of the officers and was soon ordered out of his car. He initially refused, though, and requested that a sergeant come to the scene. Another of the officers threatened to arrest the man for obstruction of justice. The driver then acquiesced, and the officers searched him and the car. While standing outside the vehicle, the man requested the officers' names and badge numbers. He was again threatened with arrest, COPA records show. The search turned up nothing, and the officers disabled their body-worn cameras and left the area. A misconduct complaint was filed later that day. Friction in disciplinary structure Traveling in unmarked squad cars, often in plainclothes attire, tactical officers are frequently the first cops to respond to shootings or other high-priority calls for service. In the Harrison District — the epicenter of Chicago's narcotics trade and one of the most violent parts of the city — 'tact teams' stay busy. Civilian complaints of misconduct are common, though most are not sustained by investigators. CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling's frustration with then-COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten was apparent for much of 2024. Inside COPA, friction among managers and allegations of biased investigations prompted Kersten to resign earlier this year. Despite the public tensions, CPD ultimately agreed with COPA's assessment that the tactical officers should be suspended for repeatedly violating CPD rules related to traffic stops.. CPD said those five officers should be off the street, collectively, for 109 days for their behavior during four traffic stops on the West Side that occurred in the months before the Reed shooting. One of those five quit CPD in November 2024. The officer who was shot may not be able to perform police duties in the future, a police source recently told the Tribune. CPD is now working to develop and implement a new traffic stops policy, the first draft of which was released last month. Though nothing is set in stone, the draft of the new policy would allow officers to continue using pretextual traffic stops as a means to go after guns and drugs. Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson nominated an interim leader of COPA as the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability continues the search for Kersten's permanent replacement. The officers still with CPD are on administrative duty, according to a department spokesperson. Of CPD's 22 patrol districts, the Harrison District — roughly bounded by Roosevelt Road, Division Street and Western and Cicero avenues — usually ranks near the top in narcotics arrests and shootings. Police activity is often highest in and around the blocks closest to the Eisenhower Expressway, along Pulaski Road, as well as the intersection of Chicago and Homan avenues. 'What I've seen from police officers in my district is they use traffic stops as a way of going around some of the limitations that they're finding and trying to enforce drug laws,' Brian Ramson, one of the Harrison District Councilors, said last month. Dexter Reed Nine days before his death, Dexter Reed had court. It was a status hearing for a gun charge that came the previous July after he was arrested with a revolver near the Windy City Smokeout festival outside the United Center. Another hearing was set for the following month. Court filings show that the years leading up to Reed's death were marked by physical, emotional and financial hardship. He survived a shooting in 2021, though he spent months in the hospital recovering. 'I'm physically disabled and mentally unstable with PTSD, short-term memory loss, slurred speech, drop foot in one of my legs, blindness in one eye, shoulder/arm hard to move, weakness and/or sensitivity,' Reed wrote in a 2023 court filing. On March 21, 2024, Reed was driving in the 3800 block of West Ferdinand when his vehicle was boxed in by the team of tactical officers. Police bodycam footage shows the officers exit an unmarked police vehicle, draw their weapons and repeatedly order Reed to roll down his SUV's tinted windows. Reed initially complied and rolled down his window, but he appeared to disregard the officers' commands to roll down the window on the passenger side. Moments later, Reed shot the officer standing on the SUV's passenger side. The other four officers then opened fire, shooting dozens of rounds at Reed, who exited the vehicle before falling to the pavement. One officer fired three more shots at Reed as he was lying motionless in the street. That officer shot at least 50 times during the 41 seconds of gunfire. He was one of three officers who reloaded their weapons, according to COPA. An autopsy later found that Reed was shot 13 times. *** Just hours before the fatal gunfire erupted, a Cook County judge entered an order that would allow CPD officers accused of serious misconduct to forgo the Chicago Police Board. The board convened for its monthly meeting that evening, about 90 minutes after the Reed shooting. Both Snellling and Kersten delivered their agency's monthly report to the dozen or so regular meeting attendees. 'I want to also express condolences to members of the Chicago Police Department in light of tonight's events,' Kersten told Snelling shortly after Reed was killed and the officer was wounded. 'I think it just really crystallizes the importance of having these conversations, collaboratively and productively, about how COPA does its job, how the Chicago Police Department lives up to its policies and training, and how we move forward as a city.' It was a striking change in tone from the police board's meeting in February. It was then that Snelling chided COPA investigators for leaning on 'personal opinions and speculation.' Less than two weeks after the Reed shooting, on April 1, Kersten wrote Snelling to note that the officers involved were under investigation for their actions during another traffic stop in the Harrison District. Kersten urged that the officers be stripped of their police powers and placed on desk duty. The body-worn video footage of the Reed shooting was made public on April 9, 2024. Two days later, Kersten was a guest on ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's YouTube show. Kersten did not discuss the facts of the shooting, but her appearance irked CPD leaders and the conservative wing of the City Council. Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th, soon filed a complaint against Kersten with the city's Office of Inspector General. Sposato accused Kersten of speaking 'in an accusatory and inappropriate prejudicial tone about facts that have yet to be investigated,' but his letter did not cite examples from her public remarks. A few weeks later, during the April 2024 police board meeting, Kersten addressed the outcry. 'Last week's release of materials and my public comments pertaining to the fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed, in which an officer was also shot and wounded, have led to sharp criticisms,' Kersten said. 'This criticism demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of COPA's role and process and smacks of hypocrisy.' 'This is misleading at best,' Snelling said in response. 'There is nothing wrong with transparency, transparency is of the utmost importance,' Snelling added. 'But when information is leaked prior to releasing the video, when statements are made without all of the information, an investigation has to begin. And if we're starting by putting it out in the public in a manner in which we framed it, and we expect the public to see it the way we want them to see it, it's problematic. This is why I've made no statements about this shooting.' Reed's family held a press conference the following week outside the Harrison District station to announce its federal lawsuit against the city. The initial complaint did not mention that Reed shot a police officer before he was killed. Nicole Banks, Reed's mother, told reporters that she watched the police bodycam footage of the shooting 'over and over and over.' 'They executed him,' Banks said through tears. 'He fell down and they put the handcuffs on him. That was not right. In the name of Jesus, I ask that he rest in peace.' Civil rights challenges Police shootings, justified or not, usually lead to some kind of civil litigation. Surviving family members often bring lawsuits that allege civil rights abuses, and CPD officers can ask a judge to undo discipline leveled against them. In August 2024, the Fraternal Order of Police filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of eight CPD officers recommended for discipline by COPA. The union alleged that the agency's investigators and higher-ups 'have engaged in a pattern and practice to treat Police Officers unequally and unfairly. Specifically, Defendant COPA conducts unconstitutional, biased and untimely investigations.' Among the defendants in the FOP's federal suit was Matthew Haynam, COPA's former deputy chief administrator who was fired from the agency, also in August 2024. The next month, Haynam filed a whistleblower lawsuit against COPA in Cook County, alleging that his firing was a result of him speaking out against what he called COPA's anti-police bias. Over that winter, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability was fielding and investigating complaints about COPA's workplace culture and accountability and the quality of its investigations under Kersten's leadership. 'If the police accountability system is or is reasonably perceived to be ineffective or unfair, it will erode public confidence in policing and police oversight,' CCPSA President Anthony Driver and Vice President Remel Terry wrote to Kersten on Jan. 28, 2025. CCPSA told Kersten a no-confidence vote was forthcoming, and she announced her resignation two weeks later amid a purge of leadership in several other city departments. It was a decision, she said, that was in the works for some time. 'What I know to be certain about this issue is that society has forced it into this binary where you're either for or against somehow, as opposed to understanding that, truly, to do this work, to do this kind of accountability reform work, it's not one or the other. It's not 'either-or.' It's not pro-police or against,' Kersten told the Tribune shortly before she left her post. That same month, attorneys for the city and the CPD reached an agreement with Reed's family to settle their federal lawsuit for $1.25 million. In early March 2025, Snelling endorsed the agency's recommendations that the officers be suspended. Haynam then voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit against COPA, court records show. Last week, however, Haynam filed a new lawsuit in federal court alleging that his firing was a violation of his First Amendment rights. In April, the City Council voted down the proposed settlement with Reed's family. The FOP's lawsuit against COPA alleging unconstitutional investigations reached its conclusion, too. On April 24, 2025, a federal judge granted the city's motion to dismiss, agreeing that the constitution 'does not protect a police officer's interest in fair and impartial employment investigations.' 'Because COPA's investigation constitutes process rather than a protected property interest, the Court dismisses Plaintiffs' due process claim premised on a property interest in a fair investigation,' wrote U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso.
