Civilian control of police in Chicago could become model for the nation
The mayoral race isn't the only news from last month's municipal elections.
Amid the tumult of the Chicago mayoral election last month, a major milestone got lost in the shuffle. Chicago elected a first-in-the-nation civilian police oversight council.
The 66-member body will nominate seven people, confirmed by the city council and the incoming mayor, to serve on the commission that will oversee the entire department and can set citywide policy, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
And with the resignation of Chicago’s police superintendent David Brown, the interim version of that commission will oversee the process of finding his replacement.
The commission will put forth a list of three nominees. The incoming mayor will have the opportunity to appoint one of those nominees within 30 days, or reject them entirely. The latter would restart the nomination process.
The district councils are the culmination of decades of activism by reform advocates. A ballot initiative in the early 1970s attempted to create a similar body, but then-mayor Richard J. Daley’s Democratic Party machine scuttled the proposal.
Only seven candidates backed by the Fraternal Order of Police went on to win their elections.
The police union also lost an effort during the election to prevent progressive candidates from running as a slate, as did the lawyer who oversaw that failed bid, who ran and lost his race for the district council in District 25.
The two candidates vying for mayor in the second round of elections, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson, have sharply different views on criminal justice. The former has been endorsed by the FOP, while the latter has a history of calling for progressive reform.
We’ll see next month which side wins out in that fight, but reform saw big wins in the first round of voting with the police district councils.
If successful, civilian accountability in Chicago could become a model for the rest of the nation. As calls for criminal justice reform continue nationwide, my hope is that this attempt at civilian control proves to be a welcome move.
The Round Up
Here are the stories that caught our eyes this week and what they mean for the weeks ahead.
Chicago businesses adapt to outlast ‘agonizingly slow’ COVID-19 recovery three years after shutdown
Local businesses are in a “long COVID” fight of their own. Some have changed their hours and competitive approaches.
But few who run them are certain about the rhythms of urban life they depended on. The pandemic, while receding as a health threat, has had a lasting effect on where people want to work and, therefore, spend.
City Council urged to postpone declaration of independence
Two of Chicago’s top advocates for government reform sounded the alarm about a plan by three of outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s closest allies to raise the number of City Council committees and modify rules to declare the Council’s independence from the new mayor.
The Better Government Association and the League of Women Voters have urged the City Council to end its penchant for going along with anything the mayor wants.
But the watchdog groups don’t care for the way the Council is handling their plan, especially efforts to ram the plan through now, rather than allowing the newly-elected Council to enact it.
The city of Chicago spent at least $441 million on overtime for city employees last year — a third more than the previous year, with nearly half that amount used to pay Chicago Police Department officers for working extra hours.
CPD spent at least $210.5 million on overtime, 56 percent more than in 2021 and more than double the $100 million earmarked for police overtime set by the Chicago City Council as part of the city’s 2022 budget.
Newsclips
Midwest Democrats push for 2024 convention in Chicago
During Ramadan, Chicago Muslims step up efforts to help earthquake victims
Greektown Starbucks joins nationwide strike for better pay and hours as union vote nears
Chicago had its fourth warmest winter in 70 years, and spring flowers are weeks ahead of schedule
Nepal wants a sacred necklace returned but the Art Institute of Chicago still keeps it on display
Mayoral race highlights
New Chicago mayoral poll sheds light on narrow race
Vallas vs. Johnson: An Updated Endorsement Guide to the 2023 Chicago Mayoral Election
Vallas dissed Biden and Obama in Chicago
Vallas, Johnson offer contrasting ideas at forum on issues affecting Black and Latino communities
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