Crime & Law
Johnson Taps COPA’s Director of Investigations as Interim Head of Police Misconduct Agency
(WTTW News/Provided)
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday tapped a 25-year veteran of Chicago’s police oversight system to lead the city agency charged with investigating Chicago Police Department misconduct on an interim basis.
LaKenya White, who served as a director of investigations for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, better known as COPA, since December 2023, will replace Andrea Kersten, who resigned as the chief administrator under fire a month ago.
“My goal is to build on the agency’s successful work, further strengthening the positive strides we have made while fostering stronger connections between the community and the Chicago Police Department,” White said in a statement.
White managed COPA’s intake unit and reviewed all incoming complaints to determine which city agency should investigate the matter, according to COPA’s website.
Kersten stepped down before the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, known as the CCPSA, could take a vote of no confidence in her leadership, a move that was likely to trigger her termination.
Garien Gatewood, the deputy mayor for community safety, said Johnson had confidence White, a native Chicagoan, would “get the calls right” while the CCPSA conducts a nationwide search for a permanent head of the agency.
“She is a strong leader who will hold down the fort,” Gatewood said, adding that White enjoyed the confidence of both members of the Chicago Police Department and those pushing for reform.
White began her career with the city of Chicago in 2000 as an intake aide with the Office of Professional Standards, the agency then charged with probing police misconduct. After that agency was dissolved and replaced with the Independent Police Review Authority, White served as an investigator for more than 10 years, according to White’s LinkedIn page.
When the Independent Police Review Authority was replaced by COPA, White was promoted to major case specialist and then supervising investigator and then director of investigations in December 2023, according to the online resume.
“Her experience speaks for itself in her ability to respond decisively under pressure,” Johnson said in a statement. “White’s institutional knowledge is critical to ensuring a smooth transition.”
Former First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy left COPA alongside Kersten, leaving the agency’s top two positions vacant.
Since the beginning of the year, Chicago police officers have shot five people, killing three, records show.
In all of 2024, Chicago police officers shot 12 people, killing six, records show.
COPA investigators have 18 months to probe complaints and police shootings under city law, putting intense pressure on the agency to complete their work much faster than in years past.
In 2024, COPA received more than 3,200 complaints of police misconduct, including more than 500 allegations of excessive force. That is the greatest number of complaints since 2020, records show.
Nine city agencies and departments, including COPA, do not have a permanent, City Council-confirmed leader. Those departments are: Animal Care and Control, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Chicago Film Office, the Department of Aviation, the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Transit Agency and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
