--- title: Zachary Fardon Open Letter: Read the Full Text description: Asked to resign by Trump, Chicago’s top prosecutor calls for far-reaching reforms in a searing open letter. canonical: https://time.com/4703254/attorney-zachary-fardon-open-letter-trump/ author: Ryan Kilpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-16T07:53:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:32.151Z article:section: Politics og:title: U.S. Attorney Dismissed by Trump Pens 'Unshackled' Criticism og:description: Zachary Fardon, Chicago’s onetime top prosecutor, is unsparing in his words og:url: https://time.com/4703254/attorney-zachary-fardon-open-letter-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfdc722e14cbaea2d/6988be9b8fd2eea0ec35629a/gettyimages-652955002.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Zachary Fardon steps down as US attorney in Chicago og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Attorney Dismissed by Trump Pens 'Unshackled' Criticism twitter:description: Zachary Fardon, Chicago’s onetime top prosecutor, is unsparing in his words twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfdc722e14cbaea2d/6988be9b8fd2eea0ec35629a/gettyimages-652955002.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read the Searing Full Text of the Open Letter Written by a U.S. Attorney Dismissed by Trump > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Justice Department Releases Scathing Report on Chicago Police Department Abuses [Watch (HLS stream): Justice Department Releases Scathing Report on Chicago Police Department Abuses](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GwzSkxZM.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2017-01-13. Institutional problems within the Chicago Police Department have led to serious civil rights violations for years, including racial bias against blacks and a tendency to use excessive force, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report._ by [Ryan Kilpatrick](https://time.com/author/ryan-kilpatrick/) ## Ryan Kilpatrick Mar 16, 2017 7:53 AM UTC  Zachary Fardon with Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Feb. 10, 2017. Zachary Fardon with Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Feb. 10, 2017. Chicago Tribune—TNS via Getty Images by [Ryan Kilpatrick](https://time.com/author/ryan-kilpatrick/) ## Ryan Kilpatrick Mar 16, 2017 7:53 AM UTC Recently asked to resign by the administration of President Donald Trump, Chicago’s onetime top prosecutor Zachary Fardon has called for far-reaching reforms of the city’s justice system to fight endemic gun violence. In a five-page open letter released on Monday, the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois condemned inaction from municipal authorities, the local police department’s lack of professionalism, and the failure of federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate on addressing the city’s recent murder spike. Chicago’s murders jumped nearly 60% in 2016, leaving more than 760 people dead and thousands more injured. Fardon, who said he was now “unshackled by the diplomatic constraints” of his position, suggested that up to 20 new federal prosecutors be assigned to Chicago immediately to help with gang and gun-related prosecutions. Referring to Chicago as a city “on fire,” Fardon said the city’s gangs filled the void created by “hopelessness.” Referencing Trump’s “send in the Feds!” tweet, Fardon also called on the government to “send in the tech geeks” to curb gang members’ use of social media. Deploying the National Guard, he warned, would tell city residents: “This is war, and you are the enemy.” Read the full text of his letter [here](https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3516525/03132017-Untitled-NOTSET.pdf). ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] The Department of Justice has concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Chicago Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, in violation of the fourth amendment to the Constitution. Our investigation found that this pattern or practice is in no small part the result of severely deficient training procedures and accountability systems. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Police misconduct will not be tolerated anywhere in the city of Chicago. And those who break the rules will be held accountable for their actions. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] These are serious problems and they bear serious consequences for all Chicago. And as I said when I announced this investigation, the systems and policies that fail ordinary citizens also fail the vast majority of Chicago Police Department officers, who risk their lives every day to serve and protect the people of Chicago. 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