Police Settlement Transparency and Accountability (PSTA) Ordinance
The PSTA (Police Settlement Transparency and Accountability) Ordinance will lift the veil of secrecy from police misconduct litigation in Chicago. With the PSTA, we have a chance to bring transparency, democratic oversight, and justice to the city’s police accountability system. If we pass this reform, Chicago will set the standard for police accountability for cities […]
CJP’s Policy Recommendations For Accountability and Transparency
Overview: A component of our efforts at the Chicago Justice Project is monitoring and analyzing policy and legislative trends on public safety in Chicago. Our Legislative Agenda for Accountability and Transparency aims to bring about a more just, community-driven, and evidence-based policing and police accountability system in Chicago. A .pdf of the report is attached […]
David Brown Suspension Uncovered:
The personnel file of CPD Superintendent David Brown reveals a past suspension for pursuing a vehicle into oncoming traffic and submitting multiple reports containing false information while he was working for the Dallas Police Department. Relevant parts of the personnel file are attached at the end of the article. On Aug 29, 1987, Officers Richard […]
Doctored information from CPD rampant in Mary Mitchell column
Doctored information from CPD is rampant in Mary Mitchell’s recent column. The Sun-Times is no stranger to biased information. And Mary Mitchell is no stranger to biased writing either. Mary Mitchell, a columnist for the Sun-Times, has been writing columns condemning the CPD for decades. Mitchell has written columns criticizing their lack of due diligence […]
Community Commission on Public Safety
The Community Commission on Public Safety (Commission) is one of the campaign promises that Mayor Lightfoot just has not been able to deliver on and seems to do nothing but take wrong step after wrong step trying to implement this legislation. Recently, the Mayor announced she was walking away from the negotiating table with the […]
Clerk Martinez’s Transparency Flip Flop
Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez pulled what was always expected and flip flopped here campaign pledge to make her office be responsive to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Instead Martinez backed an Illinois Senate bill to make the office responsive to what is called the local records act. […]
FOP President’s Baseless Claims on Adam Toledo Shooting
The Fraternal order of Police (FOP) has long be known be a force working against reform even when it is in the best interests of their membership. They are also known for backing up a single officer no matter the long-term consequences for the organization and its membership. The Adam Toledo case may turn out […]
Exploring CPD’s Response to George Floyd Protests
The Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) response to the George Floyd protests turn out to be chaotic, unorganized, and under prepared. This comes from a review of the CPD”s response from a report recently released by the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety (DPSIG), Deborah Witzburg. Floyd was murdered on a Monday and despite spreading […]
CPD FOIA Suit Updates
This entire lawsuit and how the CPD has responded throughout is a monument to just how against the organization is to real transparency. Also, it is important to note that the behavior of the CPD has not been affected by who was in the Mayor’s office or sitting in the Superintendent’s office. Due to […]
Origins of Community Policing in Chicago
The origins of community policing in Chicago from the perspective of the community rarely if ever get a voice when the media covers the topic. The media has swallowed whole the propaganda that began under Mayor Daley but has continued relentlessly through the Emanuel and Lightfoot administrations. Our recent discussion Elce Redmond, Organizing Director at […]