CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A budget hearing at Chicago City Hall Tuesday gave alderpersons a chance to get details about a new civilian police oversight commission known as the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA).
The leaders of the CCPSA, though, also found themselves defending the growing agency against questions from some alderpersons about whether the commission was redundant.
In answer to questions from Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward) about the difference between the commission and the CAPS program, CCPSA Executive Director Adam Gross pointed out the new agency operates outside of the police department and is designed to engage the public.
Public engagement was an important issue for several city council members, including some who stressed the need to translate information into other languages for residents.
“Almost every major crime in my community that’s been solved has been through some kind of engagement with community, either through tips or through general information,” Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) said. “Picking up 911 has to be something people feel confident doing.”
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Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) read a long list of law enforcement agencies that already oversee police, which prompted Budget Chair Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) to point out the new agency represents the people.
Another discussion was raised during the meeting about the agency’s staffing. Gross told alders that hiring for the new agency has been challenging. He said they’ve only filled four of 14 positions from last year's budget.
More staff will join the agency following elections for 66 District Council positions in February, but City Council members expressed concerns that there's not enough public information about the elected positions.
Those elected to the District Council will partner with the CCPSA to “improve policing and public safety in the district,” according to the City’s website.
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Sposato, and other alderpersons whose wards fall within the 16th Police District, complained about the disparate size of the districts. They said candidates who run there will need three times as many signatures to get on the ballot.
Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) told leaders of the new commission they should ask for the money they need to properly staff it.
“We’re spending all of this money on lawsuits and other things that go on in the city because everybody is not at the table,” Taylor said.
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) said residents of her ward want to trust the police will do more about crime. She shared a story of an 80-year-old resident who was violently robbed at a bus stop this past week.
“They broke her nose,” Lee said. “They scraped up her knees. This is all happening, so, in my community especially, we’d like to feel safer.”
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