As Chicago’s police leadership is in flux, new report on country’s law enforcement ‘crisis’ offers way forward

With the mayoral election looming and a nationwide search for the city’s next chief cop underway, a report released Wednesday lays out a path forward for the police to comply with sweeping court-ordered reforms. There is

A report published by 21CP Solutions, a company founded by former top police officers from Philadelphia and Washington, DC, outlines the “three crises” facing law enforcement across the country. After years of decline, it has risen.

Former interim police station. Charlie Beck said all the issues raised in the 37-page report apply to the Chicago Police Department, which he led before David Brown. In a meeting with Beck, Beck said the restructuring was in order, but admitted that changes don’t happen overnight.

“I think it will take two terms for the CPD to get where it wants to go, no matter which mayor is elected,” said Beck, who was the Los Angeles Police Chief under the consent decree.

Among other things, the report’s “Roadmap for Progress” is part of the communities served by police personnel and is undergoing a reform process, employing surveillance systems similar to those already in place in Chicago. We encourage strong community involvement in

But it also calls for “dynamic change agents” who work with other leaders to implement reforms, and a focus on community policing, moving police officers to patrols and away from specialized forces. increase.

Those boxes were largely unchecked during Brown’s tenure, ending abruptly last week when he returned to Texas to work at a personal injury law firm.

Brown regularly canceled officers’ holidays, transferred large numbers of officers to departments across the city, and implemented a quota system to conduct “positive community interaction.” It was “full of serious shortcomings.”

He also lost the trust of police leaders, most notably his head of reform, Robert Boyk. The independent oversight team that oversees compliance with the consent order said it “sent a demoralizing message to police officers, supervisors, and other CPD personnel at his disposal.”

Boyk, who, like Beck, agreed with the report’s findings but did not contribute, said it should inform the search for superintendent candidates and, ultimately, the election of the next mayor. It really provides a guide to how a leader like a mayor should think about the position,” he told the editorial board.

Crime and the police quickly emerged as central issues in the mayoral race. I retracted my polarizing comments, but the rest of the candidates have conflicting visions of public safety.

Both candidates have pledged to implement the consent decree. However, Valas has also criticized the city’s new pursuit policy, which is backed by the Police Fraternity, whose controversial leader is also pushing for reform.

Boyk said consent decisions depend on having leaders who embrace the process. And while he acknowledged that the foot pursuit policy was “imperfect,” he said it was “the result of hard-fought negotiations” and could not simply be reversed.

Kathleen O’Toole, one of the report’s authors, has worked as a police chief in Seattle, as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice, as a member of various oversight teams, and as a negotiator with the U.S. “from all angles.” said he had seen Attorney General’s office.

She argued that the consent decree process should not boil down to “rules,” but instead “be a tool for really embedding this culture of innovation,” and that it should change.

O’Toole said her report was ultimately aimed at police leaders, elected officials and members of the community, who “have had thoughtful discussions about the future of the police force.”

“Anyone who wants to speak up in this process should speak up in the process and should listen very carefully,” said O’Toole, who also served as a Boston police chief. ‘s input and feedback is absolutely essential to building legitimacy and trust in law enforcement.”