Chicago City Council approves creation of a police watch dog to give more power to civilians

Photo: SCOTT OLSON | VOGUE

Aiming to provide more power to the Chicago residents, the Chicago City council voted 36-13 in favor of the creation of a civilian Police watchdog.

A seven-person oversight commission composed of civilians will be created according to the ordinance. The commission will be able to draft police for the Chicago Police department and recommend the candidates for the police superintendent, police board members, and the head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

The move comes in response to renewed calls for police oversight and a Department of Justice review over the killing of Laquan McDonald.

The commission will also have a right to remove either the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability or the police superintendent through voting. In the situation of the chief administrator, about two-thirds of the aldermen still have to vote in favor of it for the chief administrator to be removed. In the situation of the police superintendent, the mayor can reject or accept the commission’s recommendation, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Additionally, three-member councils will be set up in each of the city’s 22 police districts.

The commission will go into effect on Jan. 1, according to USA Today. The three-member councils will be elected beginning in February 2023.

Publish : 2021-07-22 08:01:00

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