Community Commission For Public Safety And Accountability

In July 2021, the Chicago City Council established a new model for police oversight, accountability and public safety. It created two bodies: a citywide Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils, which will work to improve policing and public safety in each police district. The Community Commission and District Councils will bring police officers and residents together to plan and prioritize, build mutual trust, strengthen the police accountability system, give Chicagoans a meaningful new role in oversight, and explore and advance alternative effective approaches to public safety. The Community Commission will have seven members, drawn from across the city. Commissioners will be nominated by elected District Council members, selected by the Mayor, and confirmed by the City Council. Commissioners will serve four-year terms. The Commission will: play a central role in selecting and removing the Police Superintendent, Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) Chief Administrator, and Police Board members; set Police Department policy; establish annual goals and evaluate progress for CPD, COPA, and the Police Board; and promote community engagement and transparency. District Councils will be created in each of the City’s 22 police districts and will be made up of three people elected in regular municipal elections. Members will serve four-year terms. The District Councils’ will: build stronger connections between the police and the community at the district level, where the community is a true partner in making the neighborhood safer; hold monthly public meetings, where residents can work with the police on local initiatives, and raise and work to address concerns about policing in the district; work with the community to get input on police department policies and practices; and ensure a channel of channel of communication for regular community input to the Commission.