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Dear Friend,

We have an exciting meeting planned for February. This Wednesday, the Independent Monitor overseeing the CPD Consent Decree will join us for an in-depth discussion on the Department’s progress toward reform. Come be a part of the conversation!

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m.

Uptown Church
1134 W. Wilson Ave.

Maggie Hickey was appointed Independent Monitor by a federal court in 2019 to track Chicago’s progress toward the more than 500 reform goals set out in the sweeping Consent Decree. These goals include improvements to CPD’s use of force, training, staffing, officer wellness, community policing, data gathering and analysis, and more.

But in more than 4 years since the Consent Decree was finalized, the City’s progress has lagged—achieving full compliance in just 6% of goals as of the last reporting period.

This conversation will lay out where progress stands now and where CPD needs to go from here to fully implement the Consent Decree. This will be a fascinating first-hand window into one of the most wide-reaching police department overhauls in the country. And as many of us are concerned with an uptick in robberies, burglaries, and other crimes in our neighborhoods, we need a fully effective CPD now more than ever.

Plus, we’re thrilled to welcome our neighboring District Councils from the 17th, 20th, and 24th Police Districts for this special joint meeting. Please let us know you’re coming: RSVP here.

As usual, there’s lots more news to share. Please read on for updates, and we’ll see you on Wednesday.

In community,

Maurilio, Jenny, and Sam

19th Police District Council

City Council Unanimously Approves Workforce Allocation Study Ordinance

After more than 150 Chicagoans and 23 elected District Councilors signed our letter calling for a workforce allocation study of the Chicago Police Department, the City Council passed an ordinance to do just that. Maurilio made sure your voices were heard by attending a February 5 meeting of the Committee on Police and Fire to read our letter during the public comment period. Read the ordinance here, and check out coverage of the legislation from the Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune.

This effort is only just beginning. There will be plenty of work to ensure a workforce study is conducted in a timely, transparent manner that answers the most pressing questions about how our police force operates now and should operate going forward. Thanks for all you’ve done to get us this far. We’ll do everything we can to make sure your voice continues to be a part of that process.

Note from Sam: Nominating Committee Received 120 Applications for the Next CCPSA

As I’ve written before, one of the key responsibilities of District Councils is to represent our neighbors in vetting and nominating candidates for the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability—a body that plays a major role in shaping policing and public safety policy in Chicago.

The District Council Nominating Committee hoped some of Chicago’s best would step up when we launched our CCPSA application for the first time last month. And we weren’t disappointed: 120 Chicagoans submitted an application to join the CCPSA. I’ve read every one, and I can attest to the stellar qualifications, community ties, and leadership ability of applicants from every part of Chicago, including a slew of highly talented youth applicants.

Since the deadline, the Nominating Committee has worked hard to review the applications and will soon invite the top individuals to interview for a position. After that, the Committee will decide which finalists to nominate to Mayor Johnson. I look forward to meeting these exciting leaders in person, and I’ll report back as the process continues.

Private Arbitration Update: City Council Rejects Arbitration Again

Last week, the City Council voted again to reject private arbitration in the most serious cases of police misconduct. We are encouraged that five of the six Alderpeople representing the 19th District voted to uphold transparency and accountability within the police disciplinary system.

We expect this issue will now be decided by the courts, and we’ll keep you updated as it continues. Thank you to all of you who contacted your alderperson! See below how your alderperson voted.  

Removing a Major Barrier to District Councils’ Ability to Function

Did you know that under Illinois state law, two of us on the 19th District Council can’t speak to each other about District Council work—or even exchange emails about it—unless we post a notice 48 hours in advance and then hold a public meeting? Until we took office, we didn’t either.

The law is called the Open Meetings Act. In most cases, the OMA is an important cornerstone of transparency into public bodies all across Illinois. But when applied to three-member bodies, like District Councils, the OMA as currently written can make it nearly impossible to do the job people elected us to do. That’s especially true for a position like District Councils, which were designed to be engines of community outreach and information sharing at the hyper-local level.

While we’ve done our best to work under these constraints, we know a change is needed. That’s why we’re thrilled that Illinois Representative Ann Williams has stepped up to take this on in the Illinois General Assembly. Rep. Williams has worked with Sam and other District Councilors to craft a bill, HB 5624, that will permit District Councils to function under the OMA while continuing to ensure we’re transparent and accountable to those we serve.

District Councilors from across Chicago have called for changes like those in this bill. They are necessary to realize the potential of what District Councils can do to make our policing and public safety system truly responsive to community concerns. We encourage you to check it out, and we look forward to advocating for passage in the Illinois legislature in the coming months.