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 […]
Community Investment as a Violence Reduction Strategy
Violence reduction strategies are all too often centered in a criminal justice system response while ignoring the economic alternatives that can play a much more effective role reducing violence over the long-term. For this to happen the electorate in Chicago needs to hold their political leaders accountable for their votes not just on justice issues […]
Mayor’s Office FOIA
Here is the recent FOIA we submitted to City of Chicago Mayor’s Office seeking records related Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Sept. 22, 2016 announcement of his decision to hire 1,000 additional officers to the Chicago Police Department. In our ongoing litigation with the Chicago Police Department is appears more and more likely that the impetus for […]
Controversy surrounds COPA: Mayor Emanuel shirks accountability, taking matters into his own hands
CHICAGO — Just months after its inception, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) is already severely handicapped. With a budget that is over $1 million short, a chief administrator vacancy, and a huge backlog of cases, COPA is facing an uphill battle. Mayor Rahm Emanuel named 18 individuals to be added to the search […]
Chicago Residents Gather at October Police Board Meeting to Remember Laquan McDonald
By JONATHAN BALLEW CHICAGO — “Laquan McDonald was a young black man who was killed by the police! And we gonna fight all day and night until he rests in peace!” Outside Chicago Police Headquarters, Thursday, a crowd of close to two hundred repeatedly and lyrically chanted the mantra, with increasing fervor. They were there […]
Chicago, Meet COPA — A Brand New Police Accountability Agency
By JONATHAN BALLEW CHICAGO — With the nation’s eye focused on Chicago, Mayor Emmanuel has been forced to make some changes. After receiving help from former Chief Administrator Sharon Fairley, COPA — Civilian Office of Police Accountability — has officially launched. Although COPA is off the ground, there are many residents that still don’t fully […]
Secret City CPD Report
The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department certainly seem like they want to keep the work by Michael Bromwich secret and away from the public. It is pretty clear that Michael Bromwich of the Bromwich Group was hired by the Emanuel Administration to study some aspect of policing in Chicago. Here is some […]
Mayor rudderless on police reform
Mr. Mayor, where is your plan? The 13-month Department of Justice investigation is complete and the report is in. They lay out 99 recommendations for improving policing in Chicago. The DOJ report follows the report of your own Police Accountability Task Force with its own set of 126 recommendations. Some of those you’ve tried to […]
CJP’s Take on Creation of COPA and Public Safety Inspector General
Last week, the City of Chicago passed the most comprehensive change to the police accountability system since at least 1960, if not ever. The new ordinance created the Civilian Office for Police Accountability, a new group tasked with the investigation of civilian complaints against Chicago Police officers, overseen by the Deputy Inspector General for Public […]
Chicagoland Review – 10 points on Episode 2 & 3
CJP’s latest installment in our running review of “Chicagoland,” CNN’s ‘docudrama’ on our fair city. 1. Context: It was verified in episode two that there just is not going to be any context whatsoever to the events covered by Chicagoland. It seems the producers picked a spot in time to turn the cameras on and […]