Consent Decree

 

The Mayor, CPD leadership and members, and other City departments with police accountability responsibility are committed to a complete implementation of the consent decree, and will dedicate necessary resources and personnel to achieve full and effective compliance with the extensive reforms it requires. As part of the 2020 budget, the City allocated approximately $25.5 million towards consent decree and police reform efforts. 

 

About the Consent Decree

A consent decree is a court-approved settlement that resolves a legal dispute between parties. This consent decree requires the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the City of Chicago (the City) to reform training, policies, and practices in a number of important areas, such as use of force, community policing, impartial policing, training, accountability, officer wellness, data and information systems, and more. The goal is to ensure that the CPD performs constitutional and effective policing that keeps both community members and officers safe and restores the community’s trust in the CPD.

Federal Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr. was assigned to oversee the consent decree. He then appointed the Independent Monitor, who will oversee the work of the Independent Monitoring Team. The Independent Monitoring Team will assess the CPD’s and the City’s compliance with the consent decree. The consent decree will be in effect for at least five years so that the CPD can develop, implement, and sustain the training, policies, and practices that the consent decree requires.

Consent Decree Areas:

  • Community Policing
  • Impartial Policing
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Use of Force
  • Recruitment, Hiring, and Promotion
  • Training
  • Supervision
  • Officer Wellness and Support
  • Accountability and Transparency
  • Data Collection, Analysis, and Management
  • Implementation, Enforcement, and Monitoring

 

Consent Decree Resources

The Independent Monitoring Team assesses the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD’s) and the City of Chicago’s (City’s) progress in meeting the consent decree’s mandates and will report directly to Judge Dow. They also support the City and the CPD in implementing the changes that the consent decree requires. Monitor Maggie Hickey leads the Independent Monitoring Team, which includes two Deputy Monitors, eight Associate Monitors (overseeing the ten topic areas set out in the consent decree), a Community Engagement Team, legal professionals, analysts, subject matter experts, and community survey staff. 

 

 

2020 Reform Priorities

The Consent Decree is a complex, 228-page document that has a minimum five-year term for compliance. In other large cities, this process has taken a decade or more to fully implement. The City is committed to focusing on the most value-added activities from the onset of our work. To help you understand the 2020 priorities, we will update this list regularly as we make progress toward the Consent Decree’s goals in a systematic way. Our goal is to give our residents a concise and up-to-date window into the monumental efforts being made daily by the Consent Decree Team to address the major issues that have been identified. While there is much left to do, policing in Chicago is on the road to reform.

As you click through the target reform outcomes in each of the nine areas of reform, you’ll find specific activities underway to achieve these goals. As we go, we’ll add links to outside resources through which you can learn more about our progress or get involved. We’ve also added citations to the Consent Decree (“CD”) paragraphs so you can follow along with the Independent Monitor’s reports, which are available on their website.

Reform Priorities October 2020 Update

 

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Ensure best practices School Resource Officer (SRO) program

(CD 39-44)
  • Get community input on School Resource Officer (SROs) policies
  • Develop a refresher training course for SROs for consistent training
  • Implement the intergovernmental agreement between CPD and Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
  • Provide opportunities for CPS principals to provide feedback on CPD’s SRO selections

Enhance Community Policing Training (internal to Department)

(CD 37)
  • Develop a new curriculum for 8-hour in-service training on problem solving and relationship building
  • Develop an instructor training course and identify external instructors
  • Launch a beta testing of new in-service training course

Improve Officer Knowledge of Communities They Serve

(CD 19, 22)
  • Finalize a training curriculum for the Community Training Academy
  • Write a plan to expand community youth-led tours
  • Develop a plan for neighborhood immersion of Probationary Police Officers (PPO)

Establish District Specific Policing Strategies

(CD 15, 45-47)
  • Review the district level 2020 Strategic Plan progress with the Office of Community Policing
  • Update the annual Strategic Plan Form for 2021 to reflect the IMT improvements
  • Develop draft of district level 2021 Strategic Plans
  • Collect evidence of community input in 2021 Strategic Plans (such as meeting minutes, agendas)
  • Conduct internal audit of District Advisory Committee functions and practices

Improve Youth Interaction

(CD 27,32,33,36)
  • Develop train-the-trainer courses for Advancing Youth Development training
  • Continue the development of Youth District Advisory Councils in every District
  • Develop a project plan and include the initial progress on JISC reforms with support from Civic Consulting Alliance (CCA)
  • Get community input on policies for interactions with youth and revise per recommendations
  • Conduct an internal audit of juvenile processing

Rights of the Public

(CD 28,30,31,35,58)
  • Launch public awareness campaign and measure demographic reach
  • Update policies related to the rights of the public and recording of officers
Target Reform Outcome Planned Activities
Design a community input approach for policies (CD 52)
  • Develop a strategy and work-plan alignment, and secure necessary resources for solicitation of required community input for impartial policing topics.
Impartial Policing training (CD 72-74)
  • Complete Procedural Justice 1, 2, and 3 training for all members and update training records to reflect completion.
  • Develop 2021 Training Plan once completion of Procedure Justice 1, 2, and 3 is done.
Establish Language Access Program (CD 52, 64, 65, 67, 74)
  • Hire a full-time Language Access Coordinator (LAC).
  • LAC to review and make recommendations on CPD’s policies and training materials.
  • Get community input and recommendations on policies.
Establish an ADA Program (CD 52, 68-70, 74)
  • Hire a full-time Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator ADA Coordinator to review and make recommendations on CPD’s policies and training materials.
  • Get community input and recommendations on policies.
  • Develop a ADA Training bulletin that provides department members guidance on interactions with people with disabilities.
Improve interactions with Transgender Intersex, (TIGN Communities (CD 52, 61, 74)
  • Collect evidence of community input and recommendations on policy.
  • Update polices and training curriculum to reflect policy changes.
Assess demographic frequency of police interactions (CD 79, 81, 82, 572, 573, 581)
  • Report and publish on misdemeanor arrests and Administrative Notices or Violations (ANOV) and determine if data collection methods need improvement.
  • Update the Use of Force Dashboard to reflect all requirements of consent decree.

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Training for all officers

(CD 126, 127)
  • Continue the Use of Force and Custodial Escort Training of all CPD sworn members. This training contains CIT components, which are to be validated by IACP and One Mind Campaign
  • Update policies to reflect that all eligible sworn CPD members in 2021 and beyond, will be required to attend 40-hour basic CIT training and/or CIT refresher course

Improve CIT data collection and analysis

(CD 120,121)
  • Update the CIT Officer Response Rate Dashboard to reflect data collection improvements
  • Revise the CIT Officer Implementation Plan to reflect data collection improvements

Update Crisis Intervention Team (CIT Program)

(CD 87-91, 107,117-119,125,135-137)
  • Update the CIT Org Chart and standard operating procedures to reflect working group and IMT recommendations
  • Develop district-level crisis response unit standard operating procedures to reflect goals and needs of district

Increase CIT response capacity

(CD 106, 108-113, 133, 134)
  • Determine the method to maintain CIT officer response ratios
  • Finalize the CIT dashboard with recommended data collection methods
  • Finalize the CIT Officer Implementation Plan with all recommendations and to include available diversion / deflection strategies

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Implement Use of Force best practices

(CD 154, 158-166, 176-179, 181-187, 197-204, 206-210, 212-215, 243-247, 413)
  • Collect evidence of documentation from Use of Force Working Group, (which can include meeting minutes and formal recommendations for policy revisions)
  • Revise the Use of Force Policy suite with recommendations from working group and IMT
  • Draft the 2021 Use of Force training curriculum based on revised polices
  • Develop a Help-Guide for District / Units completing FRD recommendations

Continue HQ-level review of Use of Force

(CD 193, 574-577, 580)
  • Develop the Force Review Division (FRD) and Force Review Board standard operating procedures
  • Complete an assessment for FRD staffing and equipment needs
  • Coordinate with IMT to develop an audit plan for Body-Worn Camera and in-car camera usage

Strengthen Use of Force reporting structure

(CD 218-221, 227, 547, 569-571)
  • Improve the Tactical Response Report and Use of Force reporting requirements
  • Develop a method for collection and maintain all documents related to Use of Force incidents
  • Update the Use of Force dashboard to electronically track all Use of Force data
  • Complete an internal audit of supervisory review of Use of Force incidents

Improve vehicle use practices

(CD 167)
  • Develop an audit and risk management assessment of the Traffic Review Board
  • Update the CPD vehicle pursuits policy
  • Determine the approach to revised vehicle pursuit training

Firearms pointing policy review

(CD 188-193, 194-196)
  • Develop the firearms pointing dashboard on the Tableau system for public viewing
  • Develop an audit to determine if FRD recommendations have been applied to officers in the field
  • Increase the number of trained reviewers for the Force Review Division unit

Foot pursuit policy review

(CD 168-172)
  • Review the foot pursuit policy standard operating procedures
  • Increase the number of trained reviewers for the Force Review Division unit
  • Complete an audit of April-December 2019 foot pursuits

Target Reform Outcomes

Planned Activities

Review promotions practices

(CD 253-257, 261-264)
  • Identify the criteria, duties, knowledge, skills and abilities to inform the selection process for Captains and Commanders
  • Publish the qualifications and the selection process both internally and externally to inform all department members of promotion process
  • Develop a transparency plan and publication of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for Captain / Commander
  • Complete the selection of an independent assessor for Sgt. / Lt. Promotions
  • Engage an independent expert to complete an assessment of promotion process

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Continue to implement Training Oversight Committee (TOC)

(CD 270, 292)
  • Publish the Training Oversight Committee meeting minutes and member list (monthly)
  • Develop the annual Training Division report to the Training Oversight Committee

Electronically track training

(CD 280, 290, 328)
  • Develop a read-only access to the Acadis / Learning Management System for the IMT

Review Field Training Program

(CD 298-301, 304-316)
  • Conduct a review of the Field Training Officer training program for revisions and staffing needs and include in the Annual TOC review of FTEP
  • Document the Field Training Review Board minutes for 2020 meetings

Ensure training is current

(CD 277-279, 283, 412)
  • Develop the CPD 2021 Training Plan
  • Conduct an audit of all Department training to ensure all training materials reflect current policy

Target Reform Outcomes

Planned Activities

Expansion of Unity of Command / Span of Control Pilot Program

(CD 356-368)
  • Report on the 006th District Unity of Command / Span of Control pilot with lessons learned and expansion plans to determine if adjustments are needed

Design revamped Performance Evaluations Framework

(CD 369-376)
  • A performance evaluations handbook to be developed by Civic Consulting Alliance as a guide for revised performance evaluation framework

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Launch pilot of Officer Support System (OSS)

(CD 389, 583-597, 600-605)
  • Develop an officer support system designed to prompt conversations between supervisors and officers who may be in need of support and launch pilot at district level

Increased Wellness Services

(CD 382-384, 388-392, 394-401, 403-404)
  • Perform an assessment of additional resources needed and write an Officer Wellness Support Plan
  • Re-evaluate the Peer Support Program (volunteer peer counselors) and what improvements are needed
  • Expand clinical services by the hiring of additional clinicians

Define Chaplains services

(CD 406)
  • Develop the training for the Chaplains Unit members on standard operating procedures

Increased awareness of services (CD 385-387)
  • Complete the Department-wide FOID card training vie eLearning
  • Collect documentation and training curriculum related to EAP in-service and recruit training courses on EAP

Target Reform Outcome

Planned Activities

Increased accessibility to file a complaint

(CD 425, 432, 433)
  • Develop Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA) policies and department directives to align procedures for making a complaint
  • Develop joint standard operating procedures with COPA and BIA regarding intake procedures
  • BIA to develop a brochure, and a plan for translation of brochure, to inform the public about the complain 500 Internal Server Error

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