But her stance on the issue took a sharp turn since she became mayor two years ago. Her talks with activist groups have broken down numerous times. Amid a new push by activists, she made it clear yet again that she is not giving those powers away.
Her plan calls for the formation of a seven-person civilian police oversight commission. Each member would be nominated by elected representatives from the city’s 22 police districts. The mayor has the final say on the makeup of the commission.
In hiring the city’s police chief, the commission would vet all the candidates and present three options to the mayor, who would pick one candidate for approval by the city council. The same process will be followed for the hiring of the chief administrator of the Civilian Police Oversight Office and Chicago Police Board members.
The commission can “review and provide input” on the policing policies but will not have the final word on any policy disputes. It can also recommend changes to the Chicago Police Department’s annual budget.
One of the coalitions—Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA)—joined forces with Lightfoot last year but broke from her after she refused to cede power over police policy disputes. GAPA just reached a compromise plan with another progressive coalition, the Civilian Police Accountability Council.
Their combined plan gives an 11-member civilian commission the key powers of hiring and firing the police superintendent, negotiating police contracts, and setting CPD’s budget. The groups ask Chicagoans to vote on these proposed changes on the 2022 primary ballot.
Even if Chicagoans reject these changes at the voting booth, the plan says, the commission still has the final say on disputes over police policies unless two-thirds of the City Council decides otherwise.
