Reform in Chicago Police Board's Future

By Jake Guidry in News on Dec 1, 2009 10:40PM

This week the Chicago Police Board may experience a bit of reform, NBC Chicago reports. The city council will vote on an ordinance "that would force the board to explain its decisions in writing", specifically in cases where there is an unwillingness to fire bad cops. A second ordinance to be voted on would potentially cut police board payroll, as well as institute a limit on how many meetings board members can miss.

The vote comes at a time where credibility for Chicago Police Board is considerably low. Many of the board's decisions have been perplexing and viewed as political. A study by the Chicago Justice Project "found the board followed the police chief's suggested disciplinary actions just 37 percent of the time over the last 10 years." Some officers believe that terminations are too often not based on factual information provided to the board and, other times, takes too little action against officers such as William Cozzi, whose brutal actions were caught on video.

The same study by CJP found that "nine board members missed more than 20 percent of the meetings over the last 10 years," a position that pays $15,000 a year. A vote in favor of the proposed ordinances would encourage legitimate and evidenced decision-making, all while maintaining consistency in board member participation.