Today the Chicago city council is expected to change the way allegations of police misconduct are handled. For Chicago Public Radio, Robert Wildeboer reports.

**

When citizens file complaints against Chicago police officers, it’s the police department that investigates. Two months ago, citing public perception, Mayor Richard Daley proposed moving the investigations out of the department to a newly established office. The city council is scheduled to vote on that proposal later this morning. Alderman Howard Brookins says although the mayor would appoint the head of the new office, that person could not be fired without cause.

BROOKINS: This person is not at the whim of the mayor or the city council and we really expect that they will do their job and have the autonomy and feel free to call the balls and strikes as they see them.

Brookins says the new investigating body also would be transparent. It would release quarterly reports about allegations of police abuse, including the number of complaints filed in each police district and, without giving any names, the number of complaints filed against each officer.

For Chicago Public Radio, I’m Robert Wildeboer.