CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A Chicago City Council committee is expected to give a preliminary okay Tuesday evening to the latest proposed compromise on a civilian panel to oversee the police department. Neither side is likely to be thrilled.
Mayor Lightfoot had maintained that if she must bear responsibility for crime in Chicago, she could not give control over police leadership and policies to a Civilian commission. The compromised planned hammered out over the weekend would allow a seven-member civilian commission to propose policies and, if desired, vote no confidence in a police superintendent or the heads of the Police Board or Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The City Council’s Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday to consider it.
But the votes would be non-binding, and police reform advocates wanted the power to hire and fire those people. On the other hand, some aldermen, like former firefighter Nick Sposato, feel there’s plenty of police oversight already.
"We already have the AG, body cameras, consent decree, COPA, DOJ, FBI, IAD, IG, Illinois Torture Board, Police Board, State's Attorney, and then the supervisors for the POs," he said.
Alderman Raymond Lopez, who’s pushed for reform, is concerned.
"As you're moving forward trying to make things work with the Mayor's Office, this was our starting point. This is what we began years ago at all those meetings...having two groups come together and create something. Don't lose that moment just for the political win of one individual," he said.
Still the committee is expected to approve the plan Tuesday night, and the full Council could follow suit Wednesday.
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