August 12, 2017 By

Community Policing Advisory Panel Releases Draft Recommendations

Residents encouraged to share input during 30-day public comment period.

Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson recently announced the release of the first draft of recommendations from the Superintendent’s Community Policing Advisory Panel. The draft recommendations, which include ways the Police Department will build, expand, and invest in community policing, are posted online and open to public comment for the next 30 days.

The draft recommendations were developed using input from three community Town Halls, online feedback, and focus groups. More than 2,200 surveys were completed by community residents and stakeholders, as well as police officers and supervisors. Panelists learned from Chicago residents, faith leaders, CPD officers, civic leaders, academic researchers, advocates, high-ranking law enforcement officials from outside Police Departments, and CPS students.
To support collaboration and transparency, CPD has posted the draft recommendations online for a 30-day public comment period.  Residents are encouraged to share comments on the Panel’s recommendations and ways for police to work in partnership with communities to implement them. Residents can share their thoughts on the Chicago Police website, or in-person at Community Conversations Town Hall meetings:
Thursday, August 17, 2017 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Sullivan High School, 6631 N. Bosworth Ave., Chicago
Thursday, August 24, 2017 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
George Westinghouse College Prep, 3223 W. Franklin Blvd., Chicago

Chaired by CPD Chief of Patrol Fred Waller, the Community Policing Advisory Panel includes Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp, national experts in the field, members of CPD Command Staff and Chicago community leaders. The report is a framework for future discussions around the key areas for action. A detailed Plan of Action will be drafted, with the inclusion of community input, on how the recommendations will be implemented and the how impact will be evaluated. The implementation plan will contain responsibilities for each Bureau, major implementation milestones and a detailed timeline for completion.Recommendations include:

  • Engaging a broad group of community stakeholders willing to act as community liaisons to introduce new police officers to their assigned district
  • Developing a systematic process for community input in major policy changes that would impact the Department’s implementation of community policing
  • Creating Youth Advisory Councils, representing the diversity of the city, to discuss ways of improving the relationship between youth and the police
  • Revising in-service and new-recruit training to incorporate community policing principles into all segments of police curriculum
  • Improving coordination between CPD and other City Departments and sister agencies to address neighborhood concerns that impact residents’ sense of safety, security and quality of life
  • Leveraging technology to enhance the Department’s ability to implement, monitor and measure community policing

This is the latest effort of the city to engage residents around public safety. In April, CPD released the Department’s new use of force policies after engaging the community in two public comment periods. Those reforms will go into effect in the Fall following Department-wide training. This is another step forward in implementing the Department’s Next Steps for Reform released in March.

More information is available at the Community Policing Advisory Panel website.

To read the full press release, click here.
Filed Under: Community