Forty-one police district council members – including four of the six members representing Austin residents – submitted an open letter last week to the Chicago City Council urging them to reject any proposed changes to police union contracts that would undermine accountability and transparency.
The group – nearly two-thirds of the 66 members who serve on the newly created police district councils – doesn’t want to gut the Police Board’s authority and weaken the recently-established Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
The call to action comes in response to an arbitrator’s recently issued opinion that would allow police officers facing serious misconduct charges to bypass the traditional adjudication process through the Police Board and opt for private arbitration.
Under last month’s ruling, Chicago police officers who have been recommended for firing or suspensions of more than a year will have the option of going around the Chicago Police Board and putting their fate in the hands of an independent arbitrator. Mayor Brandon Johnson has called it a “major setback” for police reform, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Signors of the letters include two of the three members of the 15th Police District Council – Carmelita Earls and Deondré Rutues – and two of the three members of the 25th Police District Council – Saul Arellano and Angelica Green.
The arbitrator was brought in to resolve disputes over provisions that could be
included in the Fraternal Order of Police contract, portions of which are still being negotiated.
The arbitrator’s ruling would not go into effect unless the City Council votes to add language to
the FOP contract to reflect the ruling.
Since 1961, the Police Board has held exclusive authority to make determinations in cases
where the Police superintendent proposes the firing of sworn officers from the Chicago
Police Department. These cases encompass a wide spectrum of serious allegations, including
instances of police-involved shootings, excessive use of force, unlawful searches and sexual
misconduct.
“This ruling, allowing the most severe cases of misconduct to be handled behind closed doors,
threatens to undermine the very fabric of accountability and transparency that our communities
rely upon. We must safeguard the public’s trust in the integrity of law enforcement processes,
especially at this critical time,” Alexander Perez, 2nd District Council member, said in a statement.
Added David Orlikoff, 14th District Council member: “We are deeply concerned about the potential ramifications of this decision, which appears to favor the interests of the Fraternal Order of Police over the interests of the community. It’sessential that we reject measures that compromise our fundamental values of transparency, accountability and justice.”