Police Reform Task Force Chief Calls For More Transparency From City Hall
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel's former point person on police reform called on his administration to be more transparent as it overhauls department policies and procedures.
Lori Lightfoot, who chaired the mayor's Police Accountability Task Force, was among advocates who have sent the mayor a letter urging more public participation before proposing any changes to the way the Chicago Police Department is run.
She said, after the task force issued a report finding the department is plagued by systematic racism, and suggesting future reforms, City Hall should have reached out to community leaders, activists, and others to get their input "for filling in the details."
"That has not happened," she said.
Lightfoot said Emanuel's office has promised two public hearings before presenting any ordinances to the City Council, but she believes the mayor should go further.
"I think the hearings are an important step, but it's only part of the process. As set forth in our letter, our expectation is that there's going to be actual meaningful engagement by the community [and] subject matter experts before the ordinance is actually drafted and put in final form," she said.
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Lightfoot also is president of the Chicago Police Board, which decides disciplinary matters involving allegations of police misconduct, but she said this is not about her or the mayor.
"It's about everybody else as a stakeholder in this issue understanding that these groups – many of whom have been toiling on these issues for years, for years – need a seat at the table," she said.
David Melton, a former president of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and a senior advisor to the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said the crisis in police accountability gives the city an opportunity to make vital improvements to the police department.
"One sure way to waste that opportunity is to try and impose a top-down process; whether that top-down process comes from the mayor's office or from the City Council," he said.
Shari Runner, president of the Chicago Urban League, said keeping the public engaged is vital to building trust between the community and the CPD.
