Chicago’s Proposed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
12/30/2019
Chicago is currently in the process of determining a policy for civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Following the 2014 murder of Laquan McDonald and subsequent police cover-up, Chicago has faced scrutiny in regards to police accountability. Activist efforts pushed former Mayor Rahm Emmanuel to release dashcam footage of the police shooting and replace the police superintendent. Further, the city entered into a court-enforceable Consent Decree to establish new regulations on police action and transparency (Albano). Mayor Emmanuel also appointed a Police Accountability Task Force to investigate further recommendations for reform, which called for a community safety oversight board (Recommendations for Reform 169). Accordingly, community organizations established the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA). GAPA worked for nearly two years to convene diverse communities to discuss police accountability and reform (Leadership, Partnership, and Trust 8). This process resulted in a proposed civilian oversight policy for Chicago — the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
Policy: Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
On June 12, 2019, Chicago Aldermen introduced a GAPA-supported ordinance to City Council. This ordinance details the goals, structures, and oversight mechanisms of a new municipal government office — the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. This proposed Commission would consist of an executive director and 7 elected Commissioners that serve 4-year terms. The Commission would be tasked with oversight and performance review for the Chicago Police Department, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the Police Board. Further, the Commission will have a participatory role in the hiring and termination of the Police Superintendent, COPA Chief Administrator, and the Police Board president and members. In hiring decisions, the commission would first provide a roster of candidates to the Mayor. Then, the Mayor would choose a candidate and put them up for a vote before City Council. Even as the Commission works with the Mayor’s office, it would be granted independence. Further, the ordinance empowers the Commission to review and revise the policies of the Chicago Police Department and COPA, as well as policies related to the Consent Decree.
The proposed ordinance would also establish District Councils made up of three community members from each of Chicago’s 22 police districts. These Councils would build relationships between communities and their local police, provide community input for the Commission, and help select Commissioners (“Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability”).
Why Police Accountability Reform in Chicago?
Chicago has a long history of inequitable and unaccountable policing. Between 1988–2019, there were 247,250 official allegations of police misconduct in the city, with only 7% of allegations resulting in a disciplinary action. Further, use of force allegations only resulted in disciplinary action in 3% of cases (“Citizens Police Data Project,”). This unaccountable use of force affects Chicago’s communities unequally. For example, between 2008–2015, 74% of people killed or injured in police-involved shootings were black — even as Chicago’s population is only 33% black (Recommendations for Reform 7). A Department of Justice investigation found that Chicago consistently violates constitutional and civil rights and fails to thoroughly investigate civilian complaints — especially those made by black residents (Investigation of the Chicago Police Department). As such, major reform is necessary.
Strengths of the Policy
This GAPA-supported ordinance has a strong likelihood of passing Chicago’s City Council. As of July 2019, there are 29 Aldermen in support, as well as Mayor Lori Lightfoot (Albano). The ordinance was directed to the Public Safety Committee and awaits action.
The total cost of the program would be $2.8 million each year, equivalent to just .12% of total spending on public safety in Mayor Lightfoot’s proposed 2020 budget (2020 Budget Overview 43). This cost would mostly cover the salaries of the Commission Executive Director and other policy, community engagement, and District Council staff. By supporting this Commission, Chicago would implement a civilian oversight policy that has already existed in many big cities throughout the United States, including Los Angeles and Milwaukee. In Los Angeles, GAPA-like reforms were enacted in 1992 to improve the oversight authority of its civilian Board of Police Commissioners. These reforms have been credited with improving community relationships with police and increasing the city’s homicide clearance rate (Leadership, Partnership, and Trust 11–12).
Weaknesses of the Policy and an Alternative
Critics committed to impactful police reform in Chicago contend that the GAPA-endorsed Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability is insufficient. This policy would create a civilian Commission, but also maintain the existing oversight bodies, COPA and the Police Board, that have been ineffective at achieving police accountability. Further, the Commission would not have complete independence from the Mayor in hiring and firing the Police Superintendent (Albano). As such, the Commission may not have the tools and independence to adequately reform police accountability in Chicago.
Instead of GAPA’s policy, other activists and Alderman advocate for the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). Unlike GAPA’s proposal, this civilian oversight board would eliminate the existing police accountability agencies, and instead replace it with an elected 22-member council representing each police district. CPAC members would have greater authority in police oversight, and most crucially, would be given complete authority in appointing the Police Superintendent (“Civilian Police Accountability Council”). This policy was introduced as an ordinance before City Council on May 29, 2019 with the support of 13 Aldermen. It is not currently supported by Mayor Lightfoot, and as such would be less likely to pass City Council.
While GAPA’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability may not create as radical change as CPAC, it nevertheless represents a promising development for Chicago’s residents. By improving police oversight, ensuring civilian engagement, and by providing civilian input in hiring/firing, the policy would create a more accountable police force and a safer Chicago.
References
Albano, T. (July 22, 2019). Chicago’s Battle over Police Accountability. The Progressive. https://progressive.org/dispatches/chicagos-battle-over-police-accountability-albano-190722/
Citizens Police Data Project. from Invisible Institute https://cpdp.co
City of Chicago, Illinois, Civillian Police Accountability Council (5/29/2019)
City of Chicago, Illinois, Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (6/12/2019)
Investigation of the Chicago Police Department. (January 13, 2017). United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of Illinois https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/925846/download
Leadership, Partnership, and Trust: A Community Plan for a Safer Chicago. (March 2018). Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability http://chicagogapa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/GAPA-Report-2018.pdf
Recommendations for Reform: Restoring Trust between the Chicago Police and the Communities they Serve. (April 2016). Chicago Police Accountability Task Force https://chicagopatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PATF_Final_Report_4_13_16-1.pdf
2020 Budget Overview (October 2019). City of Chicago https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/obm/supp_info/2020Budget/2020BudgetOverview.pdf