Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Lightfoot paying little more than lip service to federal consent decree?

Posted in:

Illinois

* Gregory Pratt and Madeline Buckley at the Tribune…

A Chicago police leader who worked to implement the department’s federal consent decree sent a resignation letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot this summer alleging that CPD’s top leadership failed “to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner.”

Then the official alleged that Chicago police retaliated against him for raising concerns about the department’s progress complying with court-ordered reforms. […]

“Unfortunately, my disappointment with the inability of this department’s top leadership to even feign interest in pursuing reform in a meaningful manner has made it impossible for me to remain involved,” [Chad Williams, the former civilian commanding officer of the department’s audit division] wrote in the email [to Mayor Lighfoot], obtained by the Tribune via a public records request. “Even more unfortunate is that my experience is far from unique. Many well-meaning and talented civilians have signed up to help improve the nation’s (second largest) police department, only to find themselves steadily thwarted by its perverse incentive structures until they inevitably depart due to demoralization.” […]

“Despite my efforts, both the office of the superintendent and the office of constitutional policing & reform continue to insist upon employing a ‘check the boxes’ strategy that focuses on getting credit for ‘preliminary compliance’ based primarily on policy edits that lack operational considerations,” Williams said. “Over time, the optimism I brought to this role withered in an incessant stream of discussions with the singular intent of identifying ways to ‘move the needle’ by ‘getting the percentages up’ to improve portrayals in local media coverage.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel had to be dragged by Attorney General Lisa Madigan into that consent decree. Sounds like the current administration is just trying to do the easy stuff first to get some positive news media coverage.

* More from Gregory Pratt…

A top adviser to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot resigned in August while raising concerns about the city’s ability to “keep moving the ball forward” on its violence prevention efforts and Police Department consent decree implementation, records obtained by the Tribune show.

Lightfoot’s one-time deputy mayor for public safety, Susan Lee, left that post in fall 2020 but remained involved at City Hall as an unpaid consultant on public safety issues, according to a contract between Lee and the city.

Part of her adviser role included consent decree implementation, according to the agreement.

Lee sent Lightfoot chief of staff Sybil Madison and current Deputy Mayor for Public Safety John O’Malley an email on Aug. 2 seeking to “clarify” her role as senior adviser. In the email, on which she also copied Lightfoot, Lee said she’d been trying to “connect” with the mayor “for weeks” but had been unsuccessful.

(Hat tip: Jonathan Ballew.)

* Related…

* Embattled Chicago FOP president faces termination hearing

* Disorganized Cops Handcuffed Innocent Black Teens at Gunpoint Multiple Times In Bizarre 2019 Incident, New Body Camera Video Shows: As he stepped out of his family’s Rogers Park apartment, he didn’t know he’d soon be stopped by Chicago Police officers four times, and handcuffed twice, in the span of 20 minutes. He also didn’t know around that same time, officers in the area were responding to a 911 call about a group of “Black males” who were “up to no good,” according to dispatch audio, and that they would target him and his younger brother, who were innocent.

* The sergeant who led the botched raid in February 2019 that left Anjanette Young handcuffed while naked and pleading for help should be fired, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown told the Chicago Police Board.

* Chicago police officer among 9 charged with defrauding low-income food program

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 10:10 am

Comments

==Sounds like the current administration is just trying to do the easy stuff first to get some positive news media coverage.==

The administration releases it’s own updates prior to the reports of the consent decree monitor to try to get good press.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-reform-claims-20210208-p3l4h2fujvaadfg5yyxkvdxk6e-story.html

Comment by Shield Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 10:16 am
Everyone should read the story about the Chicago Keystone cops targeting the same innocent Black kid four times in 20 minutes *on Christmas Eve* and then ask themselves whether the CPD as currently constituted can ever be agents of “public safety.”

Comment by charles in charge Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 11:20 am
In fairness to Lightfoot, I think we have ample evidence to argue that it’s entirely possible she has no idea what she’s not doing.

Comment by Roadrager Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 11:39 am
There was another high-level City Hall resignation within the last few weeks:

https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/09/16/761173693/chicago-mayor-lori-lightfoot-adds-gang-outreach-veteran-to-new-public-safety-office

Comment by Jockey Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 11:46 am
Thanks, Jockey. I passed it along.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Nov 15, 21 @ 11:55 am