Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability holds first public meeting

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's first-ever civilian police oversight board held its first public meeting Thursday night.

The new Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability met at Malcolm X College on the Near West Side.

The group has a difficult task – rebuilding trust between the public and the Chicago Police Department. The commissioners say they are committed to increasing accountability within the CPD.

Activists in attendance say the commission must not be a rubber stamp.

"We didn't do all this work; we didn't do all this organizing and protesting to have a lame duck," said community activist Frank Edgar Chapman Jr. "So we're demanding that the mayor and the City Council get off their rusty-dusties, and give this commission the budget that they need to work."

The board will review the Chicago police budget, policies and procedures. But the mayor can veto any recommendations they make.

They also cannot fire or hire a police superintendent.

Last month, Mayor Lightfoot said she hopes the commission will get more rapid input and listen to concerns from the community.

The current board is serving on an interim basis. Elections for the full-time board are in February.