CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- For the first time ever, Chicagoans elected civilian police oversight councils.
Each of the 22 Chicago Police Department districts will have a three person board that will develop community police initiatives and serve as a liaison between residents and police leadership.
Frank Chapman, field organizer for Chicago Alliance Against Racism And Political Repression, one of the advocates for citizen oversight of the police department, gave his reaction to the news during WBBM's special election broadcast Tuesday night.
"This is the first time in the history of the United States we've had the democratic option to say who polices our communities and how our communities are policed, so this is a long time coming," he said. "We've been involved in the struggle for almost five decades."
Four of those districts only have two candidates running, so a third member will be chosen down the line and of 19 candidates endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police citywide, only three had the highest total in their district.
Only seven won election at all.
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