Executive Summary
"The police need to know who they workfor —the community. The authority
that they have belongs to the people."~
A painful, but necessary reckoning is upon us. That is what these times demand.
The Police Accountability Task Force arose amidst a significant and historic public outcry. The outcry brought
people into the streets, on social media and other venues to say in a very clear voice that they had reached a
breaking point with the entire local law enforcement infrastructure. People were and are demanding
accountability and real and lasting change. The outcry was not localized in any particular neighborhood or
demographic, although communities of color and those ravaged by crime added some of the most poignant
commentary.
The Task Force immediately understood that one of our most important responsibilities was to actively seek
out, listen and respond to voices from all over Chicago who had much to say about their personal and often
painful experiences with the Chicago Police Department (~~CPD"), the Independent Police Review Authority
('~IPRA") and other parts of the local policing infrastructure, as well as their frustrations and lack of confidence
in political actors. What we have heard has been humbling. As we dug deeper into the complaints of so many
about the callous and disrespectful way in which they had been treated by some officers, we also understood
that we had an important duty to lay bare the systemic and sanctioned practices that led to the deaths of
fellow citizens and the depravation of the rights of so many others. We have borne witness to many hard
truths which have profound and lasting impacts on the lives and hopes of individuals and communities. Our
recommendations are intended to be responsive to the people, empower the people and to specifically identify
a range of changes that are essential to building trust, accountability and lasting change.
As part of our work, the Task Force heard from many current and former CPD officers who are dedicated
public servants, committed to performing their duties lawfully and making Chicago a safer place for all of its
residents. Serving as a police officer is a challenging and often dangerous job. The police face an increasingly
daunting challenge in crime fighting. Illegal guns flood the streets of the same neighborhoods that are
devastated by crime, poverty and unemployment. We as a society cannot expect the police to cure every ill in
Chicago's neighborhoods. Yet we put significant pressure on them to solve and prevent crime, as well as to
address the manifestations of a number of other daunting social and economic challenges beyond their charge
and capacity to manage, let alone solve. Still, a keen appreciation of and sensitivity to these broader issues is
critical to effective law enforcement and positive community-police relations.
The findings and recommendations in this report are not meant to disregard or undervalue the efforts of the
many dedicated CPD officers who show up to work every day to serve and protect the community. The
challenge is creating a partnership between the police and the community that is premised upon respect and
recognizes that our collective fates are very much intertwined. Simply put, a more professional, engaged and
respectful police force benefits us all. We cannot and have not shied away from identifying systemic problems
or challenges that undermine the efforts of those officers who are sincerely committed to doing their jobs the

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 1

 right way. To be sure, individual officers must own responsibility for not merely their actions each day, but also
the reverberating and sometimes corrosive and lingering effect of those actions on citizens. And ultimately, the
responsibility for setting the correct course lies with CPD leadership itself.
The City and in particular CPD would do well to embrace the necessary changes to address the systemic
problems in CPD and not simply hope that this storm will pass. It will not and ignoring this opportunity will
exacerbate an already volatile set of circumstances. CPD in particular must face the problems in order to fix
them.

The Tipping Point
On the night of October 21, 2014, the too short and very tragic life of Laquan McDonald ended when Chicago
Police Officer Jason Van Dyke killed him. One of the last officers to arrive at the scene of a call about someone
damaging cars, Van Dyke came out of his vehicle, gun raised and immediately fired off 16 shots. The first shot
hit McDonald and he immediately fell to the ground. While he lay motionless, Van Dyke continued to unload his
clip, firing 16 shots in all into McDonald's body. All of this was captured on police videotape.
Initial reports of the shooting were superficial and false. The false narrative about the shooting originated with
comments from the scene by former Fraternal Order of Police spokesperson, Pat Camden. Camden claimed to
reporters that:
"D~cers got out of their car and began approaching McDonald, again telling him to drop the
knife." "The boy lunged at police, and one of the officers opened fire.'
"[O]~cers were forced to defend themselves.'a
"[McDonald]is a very serious threat to the officers, and he leaves them no choice at that
point but to defend themselves,i9
The next day CPD put out a statement that said McDonald "refused to comply with orders to drop the knife
and continued to approach the officers." Camden later acknowledged to the Washington Post that his
information was "hearsay, ...basically."'7 have no idea where it came from. It was being told to me after it
was told to somebody else who was told by another person, and this was two hours after the incident.'s
Also, other on-scene officers repeated the same false narrative. These officers uniformly said that McDonald
posed an imminent threat immediately before Van Dyke shot him:6
From P.O. Jason Van Dyke:

"McDonald was ho/ding the knife in his right hand, in an underhand grip, with the blade
pointed forward. He was swinging the knife in an aggressive, exaggerated manner. Van Dyke
ordered McDonald to 'Drop the knife!'multiple times. McDonald ignored Van Dyke's verbal
direction to drop the knife and continued to advance toward Van Dyke. When McDonald got
to within 10 to 15feet of Officer Van Dyke, McDonald looked toward Van Dyke. McDonald
raised the knife across his chest and over his shoulder, pointing the knife at Van Dyke. Van
Dyke believed McDonald was attacking Van Dyke with the knife, and attempting to kill Van
Dyke. In defense of his life, Van Dyke backpedaled and fired his handgun at McDonald, to
stop the attack. McDonald fell to the ground but continued to move and continued to grasp

2 ~ Executive Summary

 the knife, refusing to let go ofit. Van Dyke continued to fire his weapon at McDonald as
McDonald was on the ground, as McDonald appeared to be attempting to get up, all the while
continuing to point the knife at Van Dyke."
From P.O. Joseph Walsh, Van Dyke's partner:

"Walsh ordered McDonald to 'Drop the knife!'multiple times as McDonald approached the
officers.... McDonald ignored the verbal direction given by both Walsh and Officer Van Dyke,
and continued to advance toward the officers. When McDonald got to within 12 to 15 feet of
the officers he swung the knife toward the officers in an aggressive manner. Van Dyke
opened fire with his handgun and McDonald fell to the ground. Van Dyke continued firing his
weapon at McDonald as McDonald continued moving on the ground, attempting to get up,
while still armed with the knife.... Officer Walsh said he believed McDonald was attacking
Wa/sh and Officer Van Dyke with the knife and attempting to kill them when the shots were
fired."
From P.O. Dora Fontaine:

"Fontaine heard the officers repeatedly order McDonald to 'Drop the knife!'McDonald ignored
the verbal direction and instead, raised his right arm toward Officer Van Dyke, as ifattacking
Van Dyke. At this time Van Dyke fired multiple shots from his handgun, until McDonald fell to
the ground and stopped moving his right arm and hand, which still grasped the knife."
From P.O. Ricardo Viramontes:

"Viramontes heard Officer Jason Van Dyke repeatedly order McDonald to 'Drop the knife!'
McDonald ignored the verbal direction and turned toward Van Dyke and his partner, Officer
Joseph Walsh. At this time Van Dyke fired multiple shots from his handgun. McDonald fell to
the ground but continued to move, attempting to get back up, with the knife still in his hand."
From P.O. Daphne Sebastian:

"O~cers Joseph Walsh and Jason Van Dyke exited their vehic% and drew their handguns.
McDonald turned toward the two officers and continued to wave the knife. Sebastian heard
the officers repeatedly order McDonald to 'Drop the knife!'McDonald ignored the verbal
directions and continued to advance on the officers, waving the knife. Officer Sebastian heard
multiple gunshots and McDonald fell to the ground, where he continued to move. Sebastian
did not know who fired the shots...."'
Not until thirteen months later—after a pitched legal battle doggedly pursued by local investigative journalists
resulted in the court-ordered release of the dash-cam video of the shooting—did the public learn the truth:
McDonald made no movements toward any officers at the time Van Dyke fired the first shot, and McDonald
certainly did not lunge or otherwise make any threatening movements. The truth is that at the time Van Dyke
fired the first of 16 shots, Laquan McDonald posed no immediate threat to anyone
The civic outrage that followed gave voice to long-simmering anger not just about McDonald, but the deaths of
others at the hands of the police, including Rekia Boyd, Ronald Johnson and, more recently, Quintonio Leerier,
Betty Jones and Philip Coleman. The deaths of numerous men and women of color whose lives came to an end

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 3

 solely because of an encounter with CPD became an important rallying cry. That outrage exposed deep and
longstanding fault lines between black and Latino communities on the one hand and the police on the other
arising from police shootings to be sure, but also about daily, pervasive transgressions that prevent people of
all ages, races, ethnicities and gender across Chicago from having basic freedom of movement in their own
neighborhoods. Stopped without justification, verbally and physically abused, and in some instances arrested,
and then detained without counsel—that is what we heard about over and over again. Many of those voices
came from young people who are on the frontlines of daily encounters with the police whether on the streets
or in schools. Far too many of our residents are at daily risk of being caught up in a cycle of policing that
deprives them of their basic human rights.
McDonald's shooting became the tipping point for long simmering community anger. The videotape was
painful, horrific and illuminating in ways that irrefutably exemplified what those in communities of color have
long said, and shocked and stirred the conscience of those in other neighborhoods. The videotape itself, the
initial official reaction, which but for the efforts of the journalist community likely would have relegated
McDonald's death to less than a footnote in the over 400 police-involved shootings of citizens since 2008,
coupled with the 13-month delay in the release of the videotape—all underscored and exposed systemic
institutional failures going back decades that can no longer be ignored. These failures manifest themselves in
various ways:
• Death and Injury at the Hands of the Police
• Random But Pervasive Physical and Verbal Abuse By the Police
• Depravation of Basic Human and Constitutional Rights
• Lack of Individual and Systemic Accountability

The Work of the Police Accountability Task Force
This moment that we are in requires each of us to ask difficult, but necessary questions. Questions that reject
the status quo, the accepted way of doing business, and which look beyond an individual incident to the larger
systemic policies, practices and procedures that spawn, support and protect the kind of corrosive behavior
played out every day by the police on the streets.
The Task Force took on this challenge. We heard the chorus of voices from all over Chicago who demanded
answers, accountability and change. In conducting our work, the Task Force has been guided by a mission
adopted early on:
To lay the foundation for the rejuvenation of trust between the police and the communities they serve by facing hard
truths and creating a roadmap for real and lasting transparency, respectful engagement, accountability and change.
The Task Force formed five Working Groups consisting of people from all over Chicago to address the following
topics:
Community Relations, focusing on the need to bridge the gulf in relations between the police and the
communities they serve, beginning with a review of the CPD's policies, procedures and practices with respect
to addressing racism and racial bias, training, community policing, protecting human and civil rights and
accountability and transparency.

4 ~ Executive Summary

 regal oversight &accountability, examining impediments to true accountability in the legal infrastructure, such as
state statutes, collective bargaining agreements, general orders and other policies and procedures, and
comparing Chicago's police oversight system with national best practices and models in other cities.
Early Intervention &Personnel Concerns, designing

a personnel management system that identifies, rewards and
models exemplary conduct while flagging problem behaviors and intervening at the earliest possible stage.

De-Escalation, addressing

how police officers should de-escalate situations to minimize the use of force,
including de-escalation and related issues where officers encounter citizens experiencing mental health crises.
Video Release Policies, developing

a commonsense policy for the release of video, audio and other evidence
related to serious police actions that balances the public's right to know with law enforcemenYs need to
investigate these incidents without compromising critical evidence.
The Working Groups were made up of a broad and diverse range of 46 Chicagoans that included professionals
and subject matter experts, such as those in police training, civil rights and mental health, as well as elected
officials, faith leaders and community activists.$ The collective and individual contributions have been
significant and have enriched the work in innumerable ways. Through its Working Groups, the Task Force
conducted more than 100 discussions with organizations and individuals with subject matter expertise,
experience and relevant information and perspectives to share.9 These conversations included current and
former CPD officers and supervisors, police and other government officials in other cities, judges and civil
rights lawyers, professors, researchers and community activists.lo
The Task Force is deeply grateful to all those who participated in this process. The voices of those who joined
us in interviews and discussions, sent comments, letters and position papers, and turned out at community
forums provided the foundation for this work.

Community Engagement
Based on the belief that real and lasting change is possible only when the people most affected by policing
have a voice, community engagement was central to our work. In order to lay the foundation for building trust
between the police and the communities they serve, the Task Force engaged in a robust community
engagement process. That process included:
• Community members as active participants in our Working Groups.
• Individual and small group discussions with subject matter experts.
• Four community forums for residents to speak directly with the Task Force.
• Reading comments submitted by mail, through the website, by social media and at the forums.
The forums took place on the West, South, and North Sides and in Pilsen and were attended by over 750
residents. In planning the forums, the Task Force reached out to 95 community groups, 63 elected officials and
83 religious institutions. We also hosted three youth forums with high school students from throughout the City
and discussed their perspectives on interactions with the police, both in their schools and in their
neighborhoods.

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 5

 How did we get this point? Some Overarching Findings.
"If you are not severely and wholeheartedly dealing with racism, you are not
going to get to the bottom of this issue."'~
We arrived at this point in part because of racism.
We arrived at this point because of a mentality in CPD that the ends justify the means.
We arrived at this point because of a failure to make accountability a core value and imperative within CPD.
We arrived at this point because of a significant underinvestment in human capital.
RACISM
The Task Force heard over and over again from a range of voices, particularly from African-Americans, that
some CPD officers are racist, have no respect for the lives and experiences of people of color and approach
every encounter with people of color as if the person, regardless of age, gender or circumstance, is a criminal.
Some people do not feel safe in any encounter with the police. Some do not feel like they have the ability to
walk in their neighborhoods or drive in their cars without being aggressively confronted by the police. The
consistent theme of these deeply-held beliefs came from a significant cross-section of people: men and
women, young, middle aged and older, doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professionals, students, and
everyday workers. Regardless of the demographic, people of color loudly expressed their outrage about how
they are treated by the police.
These encounters leave an indelible mark. Long after the officer moves on to chase the next call or make the
new stop, the citizen involved remains affected and if the encounter involved physical or verbal aggression,
even if there was no arrest, there is a lasting, negative effect.
The linkage between racism and CPD did not just bubble up in the aftermath of the release of the McDonald
video. Racism and maltreatment at the hands of the police have been consistent complaints from communities
of color for decades. And there have been many significant flashpoints over the years—the killing of Fred
Hampton (1960s), the Metcalfe hearings (1970s), federal court findings of a pattern and practice of
discriminatory hiring (1970s),]on Burge and his midnight crew (1970s to 1990s), widespread disorderly
conduct arrests (1980s), the unconstitutional gang loitering ordinance (1990s), widespread use of investigatory
stops and frisks (2000s) and other points. False arrests, coerced confessions and wrongful convictions are also
a part of this history. Lives lost and countless more damaged. These events and others mark a long, sad
history of death, false imprisonment, physical and verbal abuse and general discontent about police actions in
neighborhoods of color.
THE ENDS JUSTIFYING THE MEANS
There are too many neighborhoods in Chicago that are devastated by crime and abject poverty. In those
areas, aside from a recommitment to investments in jobs, education and many other important community
anchors, those residents need the protection of the police. However, CPD's own data and other information
strongly suggests that CDP's response to the violence is not sufficiently imbued with Constitutional policing

6 ~ Executive Summary

 tactics and is also comparatively void of actual procedural and restorative justice in the day-to-day encounters
between the police and citizens.
CPD's own data gives validity to the widely held belief the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when it
comes to people of color.
Police Officers Shoot African-Americans At Alarming Rates: Of the 404 shootings between 2008-2015:12
• 74% or 299 African Americans were hit or killed by police officers, as compared with
• 14% or 55 Hispanics;
• 3% or 33 Whites; and
• 0.25% Asians.
For perspective, citywide, Chicago is almost evenly split by race among whites(31.7%), blacks (32.9%) and
Hispanics (28.9%).13

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 7

 Police Officers Disproportionately Use Tasers Against African-Americans: Of the 1,886 taser discharges by CPD
between 2012 and 2015, African-Americans were the target of those discharges at a very high ratela:
• 76% or 1,435 African-Americans were shot with tasers;
• 13% or 254 Hispanics;
• 8% or 144 Whites; and
• 0.21% or 4 Asians.
Beyond the use of force with guns and triers, CPD's dependence on investigatory stops as an essential part of its

policing strategy has only served to worsen already fractured community relations.
Traffic Stops: In 2013,
• 46% of 100,676 traffic stops involved African-Americans;
• 22% involved Hispanics;
• 27% involved whites.ls
Moreover, black and Hispanic drivers were searched far more often even though CPD's own data show that
contraband is found more often on white drivers.
TRAFFIC STOP (2013)
INVESTIGATORY(2014)
■ CHICAGO POPULATION (2014)

OTHER

8 ~ Executive Summary

Of CHICAGO'S
POPULATION

 other Street Stops: In the summer of 2014, CPD stopped more than
250,000 people-93.6 for every 10,000 City residents—in encounters
not leading to arrests.16 (This figure dwarfs the number of stops by
New York City police, which from 2011-2014, stopped anywhere
between 1.6 and 22.9 people per 10,000.) Of those 250,000 people
stopped by CPD in the summer of 2014,
• 72% were African American;
• 17% were Hispanic;
• 9% were white; and
• 1% were Asian.
A 2015 survey of 1,200 Chicago residents, ages 16 and older, also found significant racial disparities in the
number of police-initiated stops and the perception of abusive police behavior.l
'
The survey found that almost
7o percent of African-Americans surveyed reported being stopped by police in the past 12 months, and 56
percent reported being stopped on foot.18

The survey found that'~[m]ost people stopped by Chicago police are not ticketed, arrested or taken to a police
station." 19 In addition, the survey established "large racial disparities in the use of force reported by
respondents."20 The survey revealed that"15% of Blacks and 17% of Hispanics reported being shoved or
pushed around, in contrast to 6% of Whites. [Blacks] were twice as likely as whites to be threatened by a
weapon. Compared to whites, all other groups were at least twice as likely to have been subjected to some
form of force before being released."zl
The overuse of investigatory stops has left a lingering, negative perception of the police in communities of
color, in part because for people of color, a significant number of those stops also involved actual or
threatened physical abuse.Z2

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 9

 FAILURE TO MAKE ACCOUNTABILITY A CORE VALUE AND IMPERATIVE
Going back years, and continuing to the present day, CPD has missed opportunities to make accountability an
organizational priority. Currently, neither the non-disciplinary interventions available nor the disciplinary system
are functioning.
The public has lost faith in the oversight system. Every stage of investigations and discipline is plagued by
serious structural and procedural flaws that make real accountability nearly impossible. The collective
bargaining agreements provide an unfair advantage to officers, and the investigating agencies—IPRA and
CPD's Bureau of Internal Affairs—are underresourced, lack true independence and are not held accountable for
their work. Even where misconduct is found to have occurred, officers are frequently able to avoid meaningful
consequences due to an opaque, drawn out and unscrutinized disciplinary process. Some examples:

eliminated disdplint .n 73% or cases in 20 t 5

DEFINITIONS KEY
NO AFFIDAVIT
Allegation was never fully investigated.
SUSTAINED
Allegation was supported by suKcient evidence m Justify dixiplinary action.
NOT SUSTAINED
Allegation lacked sufficient endence needed to prove or disprove.
UNFOUNDED
Allegation was not based on [he(aas revealed[hmugh investigation, or the reported incident did not acur.
E)IONERATED
Incitlent occurred, but[he action taken by[he oKcer(sI was deemed lawful and proper.

10 ~ Executive Summary

 Any one of these metrics in isolation is troubling, but taken
together, the only conclusion that can be reached is that
there is no serious embrace by CPD leadership of the need
to make accountability a core value. These statistics give
real credibility to the widespread perception that there is a
deeply entrenched code of silence supported not just by
individual officers, but by the very institution itself. The
absence of accountability benefits only the problem officer
and undermines officers who came into the job for the right
reasons and remain dedicated to serving and protecting.
Sadly, CPD collects a significant amount of data that it could
readily use to address these very troubling trends.
Unfortunately, there is no systemic approach to addressing
these issues, data collection is siloed and individual
stakeholders do virtually nothing with the data they possess.
Simply put, there is no ownership of the issue within CPD
leadership or elsewhere, and thus there have been no
substantive efforts to address these problems which
continue to cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars each
year. These figures demand immediate change.

SIGNIFICANT UNDERINVESTMENT IN HUMAN CAPITAL

The problems that the Task Force has identified have their origins in systemic failings going back many years. These
failings touch:
• Recruitment of young officers. Chicago remains one of the most segregated cities in the country. CPD recruits
from those segregated neighborhoods, but has fallen woefully short in acknowledging and addressing the
fact that for many young recruits, the Training Academy may be their first substantive experience with
someone who is of a different race or ethnicity.
• Training Officers To Address Conscious and Unconscious Bias in the Daily Discharge of Their Responsibilities: Whll2

CPD has made significant strides in addressing cultural literacy in the Academy's Procedural Justice training
and Crisis Intervention Team ("CIT"), much more needs to be done. Fundamentally, there needs to be a real
commitment to Constitutional policing strategies and tactics that strike the appropriate balance between
keeping our communities safe without trampling on basic Constitutional and human rights. This important
value must be embedded into all training, on an annual basis. Serving and protecting cannot mean that the
rights of certain communities or individuals must be sacrificed.
• absence of other investments: If there is a real commitment to cultural change within CPD, the balance will
shift when there are adequate resources devoted to training. Currently, aside from annual firearms
certification and sporadic training sessions, there is no mandatory training on any other topic. This means
that after an officer leaves the Academy, he can serve his entire career without ever receiving any annual,

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 11

 mandatory training of any kind. An astounding fact, particularly in light of recent sea changes in policing
strategies and technology.
What limited post-Academy training happens is primarily delivered through roll-call videos. Roll call was
derisively described by one officer as'~day care," meaning that officers slept, checked their smartphones or
otherwise paid little attention to what was happening. Compounding this problem is that there are no
metrics used to determine the level of comprehension or retention of the topic reflected in the video. What
also seems certain is that the level of attention given to the videos is not required to be reinforced with any
training materials for the roll-call commander and rarely are officers afforded an opportunity to ask follow-up
questions or otherwise reinforce the training. Also, CPD has a large portFolio of training videos that officers
can access through aweb-based portal, but no effort is made to even track the number of times officers
access those training videos. And in recent memory, there has been no effort to survey officers to assess the
areas in which they need training.
Right now, the community has no role in any of the training done either in the Academy or thereafter. Cities
across the country recognize that community involvement in training is an important element and yet
another way to bridge the gap between the police and the communities they serve.
Also, service as an Academy instructor is not sufficiently valued within CPD and some instructors are
teaching while under investigation for a range of alleged offenses. The Academy's physical space is also
woefully inadequate to meet current and future needs. For example, the recent mandatory Taser training is
being conducted in the hallways of the Academy because there is simply no other space available. The
physical structure that houses the Academy is antiquated, cramped and cannot accommodate even current
needs, let alone the increased training that will be necessary to make real cultural change. The constraints
of the physical space negatively impact the effectiveness of training.

Other Key Findings By Working Group
COMMUNITY-POLICE RELATIONS
The community's lack of trust in CPD is justified. There is substantial evidence that people of color—particuarly
African-Americans—have had disproportionately negative experiences with the police over an extended period
of time. There is also substantial evidence that these experiences continue today through significant disparate
impacts associated with the use of force, foot and traffic stops and bias in the police oversight system itself.
CPD is not doing enough to combat racial bias. Policies need further clarification, as it is not clear whether and
when officers may use race as a factor when initiating stops. While CPD collects a fair amount of data, little is
reported to the public. CPD still has significant work to do to diversify its ranks, especially at supervisory levels.
And more needs to be done to train officers to acknowledge and address their biases and deploy officers who
are culturally competent and have a proper understanding of the communities they are assigned to serve.
Historically, CPD has relied on the Community Alternative Policing Strategy ~'CAPS'~ to fulfill its communitypolicing function. The CAPS brand is significantly damaged after years of neglect. Ultimately, community
policing cannot be relegated to a small, underfunded program; it must be treated as a core philosophy infused
throughout CPD.

12 ~ Executive Summary

 CPD officers are not adequately equipped to engage with youth. The existing relationship between CPD and
youth—particularly youth of color—is antagonistic, to say the least. Children in some areas of the City are not
only being raised in high-crime environments, but they are also being mistreated by those who have sworn to
protect and serve them.
Finally, CPD is not doing enough to protect human and civil rights. Providing arrestees access to counsel is a
particular problem. In 2014, only 3 out of every 1,000 arrestees had an attorney at any point while in police
custody. In 2015, that number "doubled" to 6. The City's youth are particularly vulnerable and often lack
awareness of their rights.
LEGAL OVERSIGHT &ACCOUNTABILITY
Chicago's police accountability system is broken. The system is supposed to hold police officers accountable to
the people they serve and protect by identifying potential misconduct, investigating it and, when appropriate,
imposing discipline. But at every step of the way, the police oversight system is riddled with legal and practical
barriers to accountability.
IPRA is badly broken. Almost since its inception, there have been questions about whether the agency
performed its work fairly, competently, with rigor and independence. The answer is no. Cases go
uninvestigated, the agency lacks resources and IPRA's findings raise troubling concerns about whether it is
biased in favor of police ofFicers. Up until recently, the agency has been run by former law enforcement, who
allowed leadership to reverse findings without creating any record of the changes. IPRA has lost the trust of
the community, which it cannot function without.
Imposing discipline on officers guilty of misconduct has also been a challenge. Existing policies and the
woefully inadequate oversight regarding how discipline is imposed have allowed far too many officers to
receive little or no discipline even after a complaint is sustained. Discipline is not handed down evenly, and
there are several layers in the process where discipline is often reduced.
The collective bargaining agreements between the police unions and the City have essentially turned the code
of silence into official policy. The CBAs discourage reporting misconduct by requiring affidavits, prohibiting
anonymous complaints and requiring that accused officers be given the complainants name early in the
process. Once a complaint is in the system, the CBAs make it easy for officers to lie if they are so inclined —
they can wait 24 hours before providing a statement after a shooting, allowing them to confer with other
officers, and they can amend statements after viewing video or audio evidence. In many cases, the CBAs also
require the City to ignore or even destroy evidence of misconduct after a certain number of years.
The community has long been shut out of Chicago's police oversight system. Meaningful engagement with the
community—and giving the community power in the oversight system—is critical to ensuring that officers are
held accountable for misconduct.
Finally, in the current system, there is no entity to police the police oversight system itself. There is no way to
know if existing entities are performing their jobs with rigor and integrity, and no entity is equipped to identify
and address systemic changes regarding patterns and practices of misconduct or bias, or to analyze policies
and procedures to prevent future problems. Police inspectors general—often called auditors—have emerged
nationally in response to a growing belief that traditional oversight agencies would benefit from having a
second set of eyes to ensure that they perform as they should.

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 13

 EARLY INTERVENTION AND PERSONNEL CONCERNS
The community is rightfully skeptical that enough is being done within CPD to adequately supervise and
identify officers whose actions are falling short of expectations. There is a general absence of a culture of
accountability within CPD, largely because no one in top leadership has taken ownership of how to identify and
handle problem officers.
CPD currently collects a variety of data on issues related to officer performance—including complaints and
lawsuits—but does little to holistically analyze officer performance and intervene when troubling patterns
emerge. Data collection is incomplete. Distribution, analysis and follow-up is limited.
Although supervisors have potentially-invaluable tools for managing each of the officers under their charge
through a Performance Recognition System and a dashboard program, this monitoring and intervention system
is not working. There are no mandatory requirements that supervisors use the system to analyze data or
intervene in officer misconduct. Review of the data is entirely discretionary—or it is at least treated that way.
Supervisors are not required to input information to explain the data or take any action in response to the data
they receive. As a result, there is no way to know if supervisors are even using the dashboard, much less how
they are using it. There do not appear to be any enforcement mechanisms to ensure supervisors use the
program and, according to our interviews, the system is considered far from mandatory. In fact, our interviews
with officers and supervisory personnel indicate that the dashboard has not been functional so far in 2016.
In recent years, CPD's two formal early intervention programs—the
Behavioral Intervention System ("BIS") and Personnel Concerns
("PC")—have rarely been used. In 2007, 276 officers were included in
either BIS or PC. Participation quickly dropped off after FOP filed a
grievance against CPD for certain officers' inclusion. CPD and FOP
settled the grievance by agreeing to remove officers from the
programs. By 2013, zero officers were being actively managed
through either of those programs. In 2014, only 7 officers were
enrolled in the program. In 2015, 13 officers were enrolled.
There are many national models to design a more effective early
intervention system, including systems mandated by Department of
Justice consent decrees. Chicago has a lot of catching up to do. Advances in technology and data analysis
allow police departments to identify officers who may be in need of interventions and to respond appropriately.
It is imperative that CPD have a system in place that allows fora 360-degree view of the activity and conduct
of its officers. The system should allow CPD to identify problematic behaviors at the earliest possible instance
so that it can get officers back on track or, if necessary, manage them out of the department before it is too
late. This is an essential component in re-establishing legitimacy with the community.

14 ~ Executive Summary

 DE-ESCALATION
Unfortunately, there have been many examples of CPD encounters with citizens in rountine situations that
have gone tragically wrong. There are also widespread reports from people all over Chicago that some officers
approach these same routine situations with an overaggressive and hostile demeanor, using racially-charged
and abusive language. It is critically important that each officer approach every encounter with a citizen with
respect and a commitment to the sanctity of life.
In addition, there have increasingly been situations in which police response to calls involving persons
experiencing mental health crises ended with devastating results. OEMC must be able to identify calls and
encounters that are mental-health related and respond with appropriate resources.
Emergency calltakers and dispatchers are a critical component of mental health crisis response, but they are illequipped to identify mental health calls and dispatch appropriate resources. OEMC personnel receive only one
hour of annual training about crisis intervention and mental health, and their (understandable)focus on speedy
dispatches often hinders accurate identification of mental health calls and the quality of response.
In 2005, following a series of highly-publicized shootings of persons with mental illnesses, CPD established a
CIT program to train officers on addressing individuals in mental health crises. Officers can take a 40-hour
course to become CIT-certified. The CIT program has had a number of positive outcomes, but only 15% of
CPD officers are CIT-certified. This is not enough to ensure that there are enough CIT-certified officers to
respond to mental health calls.
Even when officers have CIT training, they have limited options to divert those living with mental illness to
healthcare providers instead of jail. Currently, the only diversion option is the emergency room at various
hospitals. More often, officers take individuals to Cook County ]ail, which has become one of the largest mental
health treatment providers in the nation. When officers do transport individuals to designated emergency room
drop-offs, they often see the same person back in their beat hours or days later, with no change in their
behavior. This is a poor use of manpower and resources.
Police officers are too often the first responders to those living with mental illness and experiencing a crisis.
Most people living with mental illness do not receive treatment, in large part due to the shrinking mental
healthcare safety net. The mental health system focuses on chronic care management for people who are
living with severe, disabling mental illnesses. It does not address early intervention that might encourage
recovery and avoid long-term disability. Without these less intensive, recovery-promoting services, persons
living with mental illness fail to get timely treatment until their symptoms are so severe as to require costly
crisis management.
VIDEO RELEASE
On February 16, 2016, the Task Force released on an expedited basis a policy for the public release of video
and audio recordings of certain critical incidents involving police officers. The Mayor immediately adopted the
policy. Before the adoption of the policy, the practice in Chicago was generally to withhold from public release
any video recording of a police incident until investigations, whether criminal or merely disciplinary, were
concluded. The absence of a clear, written policy led to inconsistencies, confusion and mistrust on the part of
the public, as well as a proliferation of expensive and time-consuming litigation conducted under the Freedom
of Informaton Act. In many cases, it also left the public in the dark about matters of serious public interest.

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 15

 Where do we go from here?
Task Force Recommendations. The Tdsk ForCe's Report contains observations and findings about a range of
issues that likely have never been seen before by the public, or at least never been addressed so openly. The
recommendations, if adopted, will fundamentally change the way in which the public engages with the police,
create more efFective oversight and auditing and create a transparent system of accountability and
responsibility for all stakeholders. We have not solved all problems, but we have created a blueprint for lasting
change.
Our recommendations are designed to address the root causes of the issues facing CPD, IPRA and other stake
holders.

How We Proposed to Empower People.
• Credte a Community Safety Oversight Board, allowing the community to have a powerful platform and role in

the police oversight system.
• Implement a citywide Reconciliation Process beginning with the Superintendent publicly acknowledging CPD's
history of racial disparity and discrimination and making a public commitment to cultural change.
• Replace CAPS with localized Community Empowerment and Engagement Districts (GEED)for each of the city's 22
police districts, and support them accordingly. Under GEED, district commanders and other leadership would

work with local stakeholders to develop tailored community policing strategies and partnerships.
• Renew commitment to beat-based policing and expand community patrols 50 that officers learn dbOUt and get to

know the communities they serve and community members take an active role in partnering with the police.
• Reinvigorate community policing as a core philosophy and approach th8t II1fOrms BCtlOt15 thl'OUghOUt the

department.
• Evaluate and improve the training officers receive with respect to youth So that they are prepared to engage in

ways that are age-appropriate, trauma-informed and based in a restorative justice model.
• Require CPD and the police oversight system to be more transparent and release to the public incident-level
information on arrests, traffic and investigatory stops, officer weapon use and disciplinary cases.
• Host citywide summits jointly sponsored by the Mayor and the President of the Cook County Board to develop
and implement comprehensive criminal justice reform.
• Encourage the Mayor and President of the Cook County Board to work together to develop and implement
programs that address socioeconomic justice and equality, housing segregation, systemic racism, poverty,
education, health and safety.
• Adoption of a Citywide protocol allowing arrestees to make phone calls to an attorney and/or family members)
within one hour of arrest.

• Implementation of citywide 'Know Your Rights" training for youth.

How We Propose to Address the Inadequate Emphasis on Accountability.
• Create a dedicated Inspector General for Public Safety, which would independently audit and monitor CPD and

the police oversight system, including for patterns of racial bias.

16 ~ Executive Summary

 • Replace the Independent Police Review Authority with a new and fully transparent and accountable Civilian Police
Investigative Agency, which will enhance structural protections, powers and resources for investigating serious
cases of police misconduct, even in the absence of sworn complaints. The new CPIA should ensure an
accessible, professional and supportive complaint process.
• Implement adata-driven, best-in-Class Early Intervention System for CPD to identify officers with problems before
they become problems for the community.
• Fundamentally change provisions in the collective bargaining agreements that are impediments to accountability
such as: allowing for anonymous complaints, eliminating the ability to change statements after reviewing
video and removing the requirement to destroy complaint records.
• Fully implement the first-in-the-nation written video release policy for officer-involved shootings.
• Expand CPD's body cam

pilot program.

• Require that all disciplinary information be provided online so that citizens can track complaints and
discipline histories.

How We Propose to Address Other Systemic and Longstanding Problems.
• Establish f01' th2 fll'St tlfn2 In ChIC8g0 d Deputy Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in CPD.

• Implement policies to dismantle the institutionalization of the police "code of silence," including substantial
changes to the collective bargaining agreements between the police and the City, ending command channel
review, reforming the role of CPD supervisors and pattern and practice analysis.
• Establish a smart 911 system for OEMC, allowing residents to pre-enter information on mental health or other
issues that would be instantly available to OEMC operators.
• Create amulti-layer co-responder system where mental health providers work with OEMC and CPD to link
individuals to treatment.
• Expand significantly the Crisis Intervention System for CPD and other first responders.
• Create a "Mental Health Critical Response Unit" within CPD that is responsible for mental health crisis response
functions, training, support, community outreach and engagement, cross-agency co-ordination and data
collection.
• Create a hotline for CPD members, whether civilian or sworn, to lodge complaints, and develop athird-party
system for the processing and follow-up of all comments and complaints reported to the hotline.
While we address some statistics regarding the use of force by CPD officers, in deference to the U.S.
Department of Justice's ongoing pattern and practice investigation, we did not conduct a detailed analysis of
CDP's use of force practices. But as statistics on police shooting of civilians, taser discharges and other
troubling practices like shooting at cars, at the backs of fleeing suspects and the range of off-duty incidents
involving weapons discharges all make plain, there must be a fundamental re-thinking of the current use of
force policies. The Task Force heard over and over, just because you can use force, does not mean you should
use force. The community must also be at the table for this conversation. The primary guiding principle of
CPD's use of force policies and practices must be sanctity of all lives.
The full list of recommendations can be found throughout the Task Force Report as well as in standalone
recommendation checklists in the appendices.

Police Accountability Task Force ~ 17

 Next Steps
The publishing of this Report is a point of departure for the next phase of work in fixing the system of policing
in Chicago. This report is just a blueprint of the work necessary to reform structures that have for too long
gone on unchecked and fundamentally unchanged. The citizens, elected officials and others in public life in
Chicago now must take this report and act on it. We have outlined many steps that will require decisions,
planning and action from many different actors, including the Mayor, City Council, and CPD. Moreover, to make
fundamental change, a broad range of stakeholders—including Cook County bodies, State legislators,
community and faith organizations, advocates, philanthropic organizations and the community—all need to
embrace the need for change and do their part.
For the Mayor and City Council, we expect that policies, ordinances and procedures will be adopted in the new
90 to 180 days to take aggressive steps to implement the recommendations within this Report. We hope that
someone within each branch of government will lay out a timeline for delivering what we have outlined as
necessary, and set up an accountability structure for ensuring that action is taken and changes are
implemented. For CPD, there is much that can be done immediately and it will only inure to the benefit of the
new leadership to adopt as many changes—including both policies and practices—described here, as quickly as
is practicable. We encourage Cook County and State legislators to join the effort—as policing reform in Chicago
impacts both the region and state, and many of our recommendations affect other areas of Illinois.
The challenge is broader but no less important for advocates, community and faith organizations, philanthropy
and the broader community. From this moment we hope that these individuals and groups will push for and
demand that the police accountability system in Chicago change, whether they agree with our
recommendations or not. We further hope that all who have labored over or otherwise been affected by these
issues will continue to ensure that their voices are heard in this debate and that this moment for change does
not pass. Finally, we hope that these bodies will think about and consider a design for the path ahead. The
Task Force cannot say exactly what should happen next in this debate, it is to the government and the people
of Chicago—through the bodies outlined above and others—to determine where we go from here.

Is Real Reform Possible?
Reform is possible if there is a will and a commitment. But where reform must begin is with an
acknowledgement of the sad history and present conditions which have left the people totally alienated from
the police, and afraid for their physical and emotional safety. And while many individuals and entities have a
role to play, the change must start with CPD. CPD cannot begin to build trust, repair what is broken and
tattered unless—from the top leadership on down—it faces these hard truths, acknowledges what it has done
at the individual and institutional levels and earnestly reaches out with respect. Only then can it expect to
engage the community in a true partnership.

18 ~ Executive Summary