MJC Calls for Citizen Review Board to Police the CPD
(6/11/2007)
City Council Delays Passage of Mayor’s Police Oversight Ordinance after Attorneys, Advocates Testify that Critical Amendments Still Needed
Attorneys and advocates who have represented victims of police torture and abuse testified before the Police and Fire Committee of the Chicago City Council on Monday. The group called Mayor Daley’s new plan for OPS "a step forward" but said there are still problems with the ordinance that must be addressed to ensure true independence for the body that governs the Chicago Police Department."
Based on that testimony, the Chicago City Council delayed a vote on the Mayor’s ordinance until July 19. The Chicago Police Department has a long history of failure to engage in self-policing, and needs to be monitored by an independent, objective civilian body, according to advocates.
MacArthur Justice Center Attorney Locke Bowman and other attorneys and advocates for police accountability are working to ensure that the ordinance creates a truly independent body to oversee the Chicago police.
Police misconduct in Chicago dates back to even before the systematic torture of African-American suspects by Jon Burge, yet most of the officers who engaged in the torture were never punished. That pattern continues in the Chicago Police Department (CPD) today and is exemplified by the Police response to the recent misconduct of officers whose abuse of power has only become public after the media exposed the wrongdoing. According to a recent University of Chicago study, actual discipline is imposed in less than one percent of the cases in which Police officers are accused of abusing citizens.
Download Locke Bowman’s testimony to the City Council (pdf)
(5/8/2007)
Daley’s Police Oversight Plan Should Not Be Rushed, Say MacArthur Justice Center and Partners
MacArthur Justice Center, the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and Citizens Alert are calling on the Chicago City Council to reject Mayor Daley’s current plan to restructure the Office of Professional Standards (OPS), saying the Mayor’s proposal represents minor changes that will do little to deter misconduct by Chicago police officers and will continue to support “business as usual” at OPS.
"This is a very difficult and important process to create a truly meaningful and independent agency. It shouldn't be rushed through," said Locke Bowman, MJC legal director. "The city should not miss this historic opportunity to adequately reform a systemic abuse of power."
MJC and partners continue to advocate for an independent civilian-controlled agency to investigate police misconduct within the Chicago Police Department.
Download the letter to the City Council (pdf)
Download the press release here (pdf)
(April 5, 2007)
MacArthur Justice Center and Partners Call for Independent Board to Investigate Chicago Police Misconduct
MacArthur Justice Center, the Cook County Public Defender’s Office and Citizens Alert called on Chicago’s City Council to create an independent civilian-controlled agency to investigate police misconduct within the Chicago Police Department.The ordinance, which will be submitted to all Chicago Aldermen, was introduced as new research conducted by University of Chicago’s Craig Futterman showed that actual discipline is imposed in less than one percent of the cases in which Police officers are accused of abusing citizens.
"There is a history of horrific misconduct by Chicago police officers that the Department higher ups go to great lengths to cover up," said Locke Bowman, MJC legal director. "Officer Anthony Abbate is just the most recent example of flagrant misconduct in a long litany of offenses by Chicago police that date back to torture by Burge and beyond. We now know beyond a doubt that the Chicago police are not capable of policing themselves. An independent civilian agency must be established to play that critical role."
The proposed City Council ordinance drafted by the group would establish an Independent Civilian Review Agency to investigate allegations of abuse or coercion by Chicago police officers.
Police misconduct in Chicago dates back to the systematic torture of African-American suspects by Jon Burge, yet most of the officers who engaged in the torture were never punished. That pattern continues in CPD today and is exemplified by the Police response to the misconduct of Officer Abbate, recently caught on video.
Download the proposed ordinance (pdf)
Download Craig Futterman's report (pdf)
Download the press release (pdf)
