Civilian Office Of Police Accountability
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is an independent city agency which has the authority to investigate allegations of police officer misconduct and police shootings. It can make recommendations about disciplinary action and department policy, but cannot take such action itself. COPA was created in 2016, replacing the former Independent Police Review Authority.
Chicago Police Officers Wont Be Sent Home Over Vaccine Status Yet
FOP stands firm as vaccine mandate approaches
As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the police union continue to bump heads over the mayors mandated COVID-19 vaccine policy, it is uncertain how many officers will be policing the city this weekend and how many will stay home.
CHICAGO – As Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the police union continue to bump heads over the mayors mandated COVID-19 vaccine policy, it is uncertain how many officers will be policing the city this weekend.
Lightfoot has said her vaccination policy is about ensuring a safe work place and saving lives.
“What were focused on is making sure that we maximize the opportunity to create a very safe workplace,” Lightfoot recently said. “The data is very clear. It is unfortunate that the FOP leadership has chosen to put out a counter narrative. But the fact of the matter is, if you are not vaccinated, you are playing with your life, the life of your family, the life of your colleagues and members of the public.”
According to the mayors plan, by Friday, Chicagos 12,000 police officers must get tested twice a week, provide their vaccination status, or be placed in a “no pay” status. But she also said that such a move wont happen this weekend because confirming compliance will take a few days.
Lightfoot said informing the department of the status is a simple process.
Veteran officer discusses vaccine mandate
Late Thursday afternoon, Catanzara released a video providing an update on the situation.
Jon Burge Torture Allegations
Since the early 1980s, official investigations have responded to numerous allegations against former Commander Jon Burge, who has been accused of abusing more than two-hundred mostly African-American men from 1972 to 1991 in order to coerce confessions to crimes. Alleged victims claimed that Burge and his crew of detectives had them beaten, suffocated, burned, and treated with electric shock. In 1993, Burge was fired from the department, and is currently collecting his police pension. In summer 2006, special prosecutors completing a four-year investigation concluded that they had enough evidence to prove crimes against Burge and others, but “regrettably” could not bring charges because the statute of limitations had passed. In January 2008, the City Council approved a $19.8 million settlement with four men who claimed abuse by Burge and his men.
In October 2008, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, had Burge arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury in relation to a civil suit regarding the torture allegations against him. Burge was eventually convicted on all counts on June 28, 2010, and was sentenced to four and one-half years in federal prison on January 21, 2011.
According to a 2020 study, torture was used against 125 black suspects over the years 1972-1991. In 2009, the Illinois state government created the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission to investigate torture by police.
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Chicago Is Spending $16 Billion On 13000 Police Is It Worth It
Asiaha Butler walked into the Ellis Park fieldhouse on Chicagos South Side for a community meeting on the Saturday before the Fourth of July. She was hoping to hear something different from local officials about their plans for improving public safety.
Earlier that afternoon, 1-year-old Sincere Gaston died after being shot in the chest as he sat in the backseat of his moms red sedan on their way home from a laundromat in the citys Englewood neighborhood, also on the South Side. So far in 2020, 43 people have been murdered in the Englewood and West Englewood communities, a higher homicide count than in the entire city of Oakland, California.
Every murder, every shooting hurts, Butler said. Theres no getting used to this.
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As head of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, Butler, 44, was invited to the fieldhouse by city officials to figure out, alongside prominent local clergy and other community leaders, how to stem the carnage they all feared for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Butler attended a similar meeting in 2016, the citys worst year for gun violence in nearly two decades. It didnt take long for Butler to realize that this years meeting started to sound like a rerun.
With more than 400 murders so far this year, Chicago is on track to surpass its 2016 homicide rate.
But four years later, attorneys for the city say that staffing analysis is nowhere to be found.
Asiaha Butler
Chicago Mayor To Consider Leaving Some Police Jobs Unfilled
The possibility comes as the city tries to fill a massive budget shortfall induced by COVID-19
CHICAGO Mayor Lori Lightfoot will consider slowing down the replacement of retired Chicago police officers or leaving some positions unfilled next year to reduce the Police Departments massive personnel budget as the city tries to fill a huge COVID-19-induced budget shortfall, officials said Thursday.
Lightfoot herself talked about police budget cuts being on the table along with all other parts of city government when she gave a speech last month to lay out a nearly $800 million budget deficit for this year and a $1.2 billion chasm for next year.
At a Thursday City Council hearing on the Police Departments budget, city Budget Director Susie Park gave some more idea about how that might work.
I think thats part of the discussion were having with CPD around the 2021 budget, as we do every year, and kind of, what is the right number of officers that they need to accomplish and to meet all of their operational needs, Park said. And were looking at everyones vacancies across the city, to be honest, as were putting together the 2021 budget.
Were really trying to understand what is the need in every department, so CPD is no different in that manner, and were having those talks now, about exactly how many of those do we want to fill, can we fill.
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The University Of Chicago
The University of Chicago Police Department is a full service, CALEA-accredited police department serving the University of Chicago and surrounding areas from 37th Street to 64th Street, and Cottage Grove Avenue to Lake Shore Drive. Members of the department are committed to conducting their work in a respectful and dignified manner while providing a safe environment for those who live, learn, and work in our community. Read the University of Chicago Police Services brochure to learn more about our police department and the services we provide.
Five Times As Many Police Officers Have Died From Covid As From Guns Since Pandemic Began
COVID-19 is the leading cause of death for police officers even though members of law enforcement were among the first to be eligible to receive the vaccine, CNN reports, citing data from the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Why it matters: Nearly 476 police officers have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started, compared to the 93 deaths as a result of gunfire in the same time period, according to ODMP and CNN.
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Driving the news: Many police officers across the country are refusing the COVID-19 vaccine and ignoring local mandates to get vaccinated.
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The Chicago police union threatened to file a temporary restraining order to stop the city’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for city employees from taking effect on Friday.
The big picture: In 2020, 245 members of law enforcement died from COVID-19 and 231 have died in 2021, according to ODMP.
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Police officers aren’t getting vaccinated due to misinformation and distrust in the science of vaccines, per CNN.
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Almost 2,600 members of the Los Angeles Police Department said they intended to get a religious exemption so they would’t have to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the New York Times reports.
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Vaccine mandates in the workplace have become more common due to the wave of new COVID-19 cases and deaths over the summer.
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Chicago Police Officers Told To Stop Working For Refusing To Report Vaccination Status
It could take days to see how many Chicago officers will ultimately be taken off the streets for defying the city’s order.
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CHICAGO Twenty-one Chicago police officers have been relieved of powers so far for defying the citys vaccine mandate.
All city workers were required to report if they were vaccinated by Friday those that didnt would be put on a no-pay status, officials repeatedly warned. But the president of Chicagos largest police union suggested officers defy the mandate leading to a flurry of lawsuits late last week and questions over how many officers might be taken off the streets.
As of Tuesday afternoon, just 21 officers have defied the mandate and been put on no-pay status, Supt. David Brown said during a news conference.
We would go against our oath to take this virus into their homes.
The department has not experienced any staffing shortages as a result of the mandate, Brown said.
Days Off Curtailed For Chicago Police Officers Ahead Of Potential Vaccination Reporting Mandate Showdown
The notice issued Saturday morning on behalf of First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter says that during roll calls supervisor briefings before each Chicago Police Department shift for five consecutive days,the following message will be read: Until further notice, the use of elective time by sworn CPD members is restricted.
The announcement goes on to say elective time, also known as personal time off from work, will require approval from someone with the rank of deputy chief or higher.
Last week, the dispute over Lightfoots vaccine reporting mandate came to a boil when the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and mayors office filed dueling lawsuits over the matter. That legal sparring followed FOP Lodge 7 President John Catanzara repeatedly directing his thousands of members to disobey the citys orders to fill out a form indicating their vaccination status by midnight Friday night.
By the early evening, a Cook County judge had ordered Catanzara to temporarily refrain from further encouraging members to defy the citys vaccination reporting mandate via social media or other public statements. But the citys lawsuit alleging that his actions constitute an illegal strike because law enforcement cannot engage in such a work stoppage in Illinois remains pending.
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As Record Number Of Chicago Cops Retire Amid Hostile Government It Looks Like Gang Members Could Soon Outnumber Remaining Officers Ten
The number of Chicago cops set to retire this year could break a record, threatening to leave those still on the force without veteran officers as they attempt to police a city in which they are outnumbered by gang members by a ratio of 9-1 a divide that threatens to increase even more.
We all of course know that crime in the Windy City is staggering. Every Monday, we see headlines of the dozens of people shot and usually several killed by gunfire from mostly gang violence.
Crime in Chicago is nothing new, especially if youre a history buff with an interest in Al Capones infamous outfit.
But what has changed is that the city is now run by leftists. Were not talking about tree-hugging liberals, either. Were talking full-blown, left-wing Marxists who are using Americas cities as a social experiment for their bad ideas.
Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot is an empty suit, and Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx is a walking enabler for criminals.
Leftism gets people killed. Chicago has seen a dramatic spike in shootings since last summer. The situation could grow worse as this year continues, thanks to the number of officers who are expected to call it a career.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that in half of 2021, more Chicago Police Department officers retired than they did in all of 2018.
How Was She A Threat Chicago Police Attack On Black Youth Leader Miracle Boyd Outrages Activists Officials
The Chicago Police Department is currently conducting a new staffing analysis as part of the consent decree it entered into with the Illinois Attorney Generals office last year. According to a June report from Margarey Hickey, the court-appointed independent monitor, the department has hired the University of Chicago Crime Lab, the Civic Consulting Alliance and other experts to perform the analysis. The report does not indicate when the analysis will be completed.
Deep interventions
This years murder spike has some officials again calling for a greater police presence in Chicago.
Earlier this month, Superintendent David Brown nearly doubled the Summer Patrol Unit, which oversees so-called crime hotspots across the city, to more than 200 officers and deployed the departments Community Safety Team, made up of about 300 officers, to areas of the South and West sides that have seen an uptick in crime. Brown also created an entirely new unit of 250 officers called the Critical Incident Response Team to act as, in his words, a roving strike force when needed.
City Council member Chris Taliaferro, a former cop and chair of the councils public safety committee, wants the department to resurrect Operation Impact Zone, a controversial program disbanded in 2016 that placed foot patrols of young officers in high-crime areas.
Damon Williams
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Chicago Police Officer Salary And Job Outlook
Probationary Chicago police officers start at a salary around $47,000, depending on education and experience.2 This is increased to $72,510 after 18 months of service.2 All officers receive competitive health and life insurance benefits as well as paid time off for vacations and holidays. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, sworn officers in the Chicago metropolitan area earned an annual average salary of $73,590 as of 2015.3 With Chicago being such a large and diverse city, there are many niches and career opportunities within the CPD to help officers build rewarding careers.
Shooting Of Flint Farmer
On June 7, 2011, Flint Farmer was fatally shot three times in the back by Chicago police officer Gildardo Sierra. Sierra and a partner had responded to a domestic disturbance call allegedly involving Farmer. When confronted by the police, Farmer fled. Sierra shot at Farmer multiple times, hitting him in the leg and abdomen. Publicly available police video shows Sierra circle the prone Farmer as three bright flashes emit from approximately waist level. The coroner who performed the autopsy on Farmer reported that Farmer could have survived the shots to the leg and abdomen, but any of the three shots through the back would have been fatal. Officer Sierra had been involved in two other shootings in 2011. Although the Chicago police department ruled the shooting justified, by October 23, 2011, Sierra had been stripped of his police powers and the FBI had opened an investigation into the incident. Eventually, no charges were brought against the officers. The city settled the civil case with Farmer’s family for $4.1 million but did not admit fault.
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Unions Reach Agreements With Pritzker Admin On Covid Vaccine Mandate
City officials also released compliance data, revealing the Chicago Police Department had the lowest response rate among the more than 30 city departments.
Approximately 64.42% or 8,226 of the department’s 12,770 members, complied with the mandate, submitting their vaccination status through an online portal before the Friday deadline.
More than 35% of employees, approximately 4,500 people, haven’t submitted their vaccination status.
It’s unclear how many officers haven’t complied as the numbers provided include both sworn Chicago police officers and civilian employees.
Of the more than 8,200 CPD employees who responded, 1,333 said they haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the city’s rules, employees who weren’t vaccinated by Oct. 15 need to get tested twice a week on their own time and expense until the end of the year, when they will be required to be vaccinated. Any employee not complying with those requirements could face disciplinary action, including and up to termination.
City officials have said there is no requirement to enter detailed medical information only vaccination status and proof of vaccination.
“There is information online saying that people are being requested to upload private medical records, lots of medical history, DNA sample – none of that is true,” Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady previously said.
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Concerns Mount About Public Safety With Cpd Officers Being Stripped Of Police Powers For Not Complying With Covid
CHICAGO â The Chicago Police Department late Monday was still tabulating how many officers have been stripped of their police powers because they did not report their COVID-19 vaccination status to the city.
As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported, non-compliant officers were lining up all day outside Chicago Public Safety Headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan Ave. after they were summoned to the building Now, both John Catanzara â president of the Chicago Fraternal of Police Lodge 7 â and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the officers are being given two chances to comply with the rule.
If they refuse both, that is when they are stripped of their police powers â again raising concerns about what that could mean for public safety and whether there will be enough officers to police the streets.
The process went on all day at Chicago Police Headquarters. Officers who have not reported their COVID vaccination status to the city as required were asked to comply. Those who still refused were sent to another room for one last chance.
âMy understanding is a very small number â even after given those opportunities â are not doing it,â Mayor Lightfoot said.
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The dispute is now in court.
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