Room for Improvement in Mayor’s Proposed Police Accountability Ordinance

BPI’s Director of Justice Reform Adam Gross was quoted in this morning’s New York Times article about Mayor Emanuel’s proposed ordinance to improve police oversight.

“There are a handful of provisions that the ordinance absolutely must get right, and the mayor’s proposal gets some of them right,” Mr. Gross told the New York Times. But there are also “very troubling gaps that threaten the independence” of the proposed oversight entities. For example, the entities “can’t worry that their budget will be cut just for telling the truth.”

Nonetheless, he said, “There is a lot of time between now and Sept. 29 to get things right, and a lot of reasons to get them right.”

BPI has been deeply engaged in efforts to improve police accountability. Mr. Gross served on the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force, which in April issued a report proposing a massive overhaul of Chicago’s police accountability infrastructure.

Click here to read the full New York Times article.