Chicago Police Officer Ella French, pictured, was shot dead on Saturday
A former top police official has slammed the Chicago Police Department after it was revealed that a 'sacred' ritual was skipped after the shooting death of Ella French.
Garry McCarthy, the department's former superintendent, told Fox News that officers 'feel under attack by politicians' after French's body was taken directly to the medical examiner's office for her autopsy.
French, 29, was shot dead and her partner was critically injured during a routine traffic stop on Saturday.
After her death, First Deputy Police Supt. Eric Carter - the department's second-in-command - demanded the Chicago Fire Department ambulance carrying her body to head straight for the medical examiner's office, bypassing a bagpipe procession.
'We don't have 20 minutes for this s**t,' Carter can be heard saying on a recording obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
'We're not waiting on the bagpipes. Go ahead and get the vehicle inside. Take it all the way inside. Do not stop.'
Garry McCarthy, the department's former superintendent, said officers 'feel under attack by politicians' after French's body was taken directly to the medical examiner's office
Chicago Police Officers are seen saluting in respect for Ella French after her death on Saturday
Officers with the Chicago Police Department are pictured in front of an American flag after Ella French's shooting death
Chicago police officers turned their backs as Mayor Lori Lightfoot tried to approach them during a vigil held at the University of Chicago Medical Center following the shooting of two police officers
The Emerald Society, an Irish-American fraternal organization for members who most often come from law enforcement, had gathered outside the medical examiner's office to play ceremonial bagpipes for her final send-off.
Chicago police and other officials worked swiftly to arrest three suspects after French's death, though charges have not yet been filed.
French was the first Windy City officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in almost two years, and the first female cop shot to death in the line of duty since 1988.
Still, McCarthy blasted the department for skipping the procession - which he called an 'inexcusable' affront to cops in the city, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
'The officers here in CPD and probably across the country … feel under attack by politicians and the public. Most of them feel like they're not being supported by their leadership,' he told Fox News.
He added: 'It's so important, the sacred nature of rituals, certainly within policing.'
'If there's an excuse for what happened, then maybe, you know, Eric should talk about it publicly himself,' he said.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara walks out of the Leighton Criminal Courthouse after the bond hearings for
