Police Accountability Experts Discuss CPD Draft Consent Decree

Chicago Police Reform
Protesters gathered in the South Shore neighborhood on July 15, 2018, following the death of Harith Augustus, who was fatally shot by Chicago police a day earlier. Bill Healy / WBEZ
Chicago Police Reform
Protesters gathered in the South Shore neighborhood on July 15, 2018, following the death of Harith Augustus, who was fatally shot by Chicago police a day earlier. Bill Healy / WBEZ

Police Accountability Experts Discuss CPD Draft Consent Decree

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Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday unveiled a 232-page draft proposal for court oversight of the Chicago Police Department in an agreement known as a consent decree.

If approved, a federal court and a court-appointed monitor would ensure reforms are carried out by certain deadlines.

The proposal addresses several concerns outlined in a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report on CPD practices issued last year. Among those recommendations are changes in the department’s use of force policy, increased transparency and officer training.

Morning Shift talks with three people who keep an eye on police accountability about the draft consent decree and its potential impact on the policing in Chicago.

GUESTS: Karen Sheley, director of the Police Practices Project at the ACLU of Illinois

Craig Futterman, founder of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago, where he’s a law professor

Tracy Siska, executive director of the Chicago Justice Project

LEARN MORE: What You Need To Know About Chicago’s Proposed Police Reform Plan (WBEZ 7/27/18)

The difference with this round of Chicago police reform? A federal judge. (Chicago Tribune 7/27/18)