CHICAGO â Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago police Superintendent David Brown led a response to protests and looting last spring plagued by âconfusion and lack of coordinationâ that risked the safety of both police and citizens, the cityâs watchdog found in a report released Thursday.
Inspector General Joseph Fergusonâs lengthy findings listed a litany of shortcomings and inconsistencies at the Chicago Police Departmentâs command level that manifested themselves in chaos on the street.
Police brass lacked plans for mass arrests, leading to people facing charges that were either too serious or too light, the report states. One sergeant said his cops stopped making looting arrests because it was taking too long for transport vehicles to arrive.
Chicago police leaders acknowledged needing to do a better job being transparent with the public as their department is under continuing pressure to implement court-enforced reforms.
Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
Chicago Tribune (TNS)
Every police officer in Illinois would be required to wear a body camera by 2025 as part of a massive criminal justice overhaul state lawmakers approved this month, but a lack of additional funding to help agencies pay for equipment and the absence of penalties for those that don’t raises questions about whether the legislation will achieve its ambitious goal.
Police groups voiced myriad criticisms of the overhaul package, advanced by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus as part of its response to the outcry that followed last year’s death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The bill’s most controversial elements include eliminating cash bail beginning in 2023 and making it easier for people to file complaints against police officers.