Alderman Seeks To Create New Police Watchdog Agency
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A South Side alderman and others said overhauling the city's existing police oversight agency won't work, so they want to replace the Independent Police Review Authority with a completely different panel to investigate alleged police misconduct.
Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) on Tuesday said she will introduce a proposed ordinance to abolish IPRA and create the Independent Citizen Police Monitor, which she said would be more civilian-oriented and independent.
The move comes as a mayoral task force is putting the finishing touches on a report on its review of the Chicago Police Department's system of accountability, oversight, and training. The report initially was to be presented to Mayor Rahm Emanuel by the end of March, but the group has since said it needs more time, and expects to deliver its report in mid-April.
University of Chicago law professor Craig Futterman said IPRA chief administrator Sharon Fariley is smart and wants to do the right thing, but he said the agency has been part of the code of silence about police misconduct in the past, and he doesn't believe Fairley can repair it.
"She's being placed in an impossible situation," he said.
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Hairston said the new Independent Citizen Police Monitor would be given the resources to truly investigate complaints against police officers.
"The idea here is to create an organization that creates trust and transparency between the public and the investigative process," she said.
An 11-member selection committee would select the monitor's chief administrator.
Inspector General Joe Ferguson would appoint eight of the members. Four would be civil rights activists. The other four would represent immigrant and LGBTQ rights organizations, Chicago's faith-based community and lawyers who fight for victims of police abuse.
The remaining three members would be the mayor, the police superintendent and the City Council's Police and Fire Committee chairperson--or their designees.
The alderman said she hasn't spoken to her colleagues or the mayor's office about her proposal, so its fate is uncertain.
