The FBI and Champaign city officials are carrying out two separate investigations concerning the Champaign Police Department and the Kiwane Carrington case.

Kiwane Carrington, a 15-year-old Champaign resident, died last October by gunshot when police were called for a burglary on Vine Street in Urbana. Julia Rietz, Champaign County state’s attorney, concluded last December that no charges should be made against the Champaign officer who shot Carrington.

The Carrington case, which is being reviewed by the Springfield Division of the FBI, was filed by R.T. Finney, chief of Champaign police, said Price McCarty, media representative of the Springfield division of the FBI.

McCarty said the review will be filed to the FBI’s main headquarters in Washington D.C. after the Springfield division finishes overlooking the case. From there, officials at the Washington branch will determine if there is a cause for investigation.

“At Washington, the case will be looked at objectively,” McCarty said.

However, Urbana mayoral candidate and Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice member Durl Kruse said Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice think that might not be the case. He added that his main concern is the neutrality of the investigation may be compromised.

“The officers at the FBI have had many occasions where they work with the Champaign police in other suspected crime activities and such,” Kruse said. “We are not confident (the review) is really objective because it is police investigating police.”

Champaign-Urbana Citizens for Peace and Justice is working on a report in response to updates on the Carrington case and the investigations that are being carried out, Kruse said. In this report, Rietz’s decision not to file charges against the officer who shot Carrington will be addressed. Kruse said the organization hopes to make the report available to the public by the end of February or the beginning of March.

“We’ve always called for an outside investigation by any appropriate FBI outside of the area or the Department of Justice,” Kruse said. “They have been working on responding to this, but we don’t see that it has gone far enough.”

In a press release issued by the Champaign Police Department, the city outlined six initiatives to address community concerns and foster stronger relations between the police force and residents in the aftermath of Carrington’s death.

Among these initiatives is a commitment to following through on changes made to the use of force policy and bringing in “persons from outside the city structure to review the investigation report to date and direct further investigation if needed, making recommendations to the city manager for improvements to policy and training.”

Champaign City Manager Steve Carter will carry out the internal police investigation, “which will focus on compliance with police department policies and training,” the release said. Eddie Adair, retired Urbana police chief, and John Freese, retired judge, will advise Carter and review the investigation conducted by the Champaign County Multi-jurisdictional Investigative Team.

“I think the notion of the six initiatives is great,” said Fred Stavins, Champaign city attorney. “Some (initiatives) will happen faster and sooner, while others will require more time.”

Stavins added that the use of force policy was already changed last Tuesday at a study session of the city council. However, other initiatives, such as acquiring a more diverse police force, may take years to implement.

“It’s good to get the FBI to work on this,” Stavins said about FBI’s look into the Carrington case. “It is always good to hear the community’s feedback on what they think needs to be done.”