Joint Committee: Police and Fire; Ethics and Government Oversight meeting, May 26, 2026
- When: Tue, May 26, 2026, 11:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928494?video=1193697138
- Transcript: full text (13,675 words, automatic captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The joint Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight and Committee on Police and Fire held a subject matter hearing on the Chicago Police Department's workforce allocation study. Six public commenters spoke, raising concerns about police attendance, arrests and ethics, and offering suggestions and questions on reallocating officers, civilianization, vacancies and drone use. A CPD director presented how the department is moving from the study's assessment into implementation planning, including civilianization, supervision, workload data collection and annual reruns of the staffing model, with Matrix Consulting Group representatives answering technical questions. Members asked about the study's goals, civilianizing specific positions, data consistency, overtime, response times, district boundaries and community policing, and several requests were noted for follow-up through the chair. No vote was taken on the subject matter; the meeting adjourned after questions.
Topics: CPD workforce allocation study, civilianization, police staffing, response times, community policing, district boundaries, police overtime, workload data, public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 25:16 Public comment: discussed
- 44:02 Subject matter hearing on the Chicago Police Department Workforce Allocation Study: discussed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Matthew J. Martin (chair): Thanked Chairman Chris Taliaferro and his team for scheduling the hearing so CPD and Matrix could attend. (58:53); Asked what hurdles Matrix identified for civilianization and whether existing collective bargaining agreements require sensitivity. (1:10:10); Asked whether council members could request that CPD and Matrix add analyses, such as which calls officers should respond to, in future iterations of the living study. (1:16:49)
- Anthony V. Napolitano (alderperson): Asked whether the overall goal of the study is to do more with fewer officers and less equipment. (59:21); Said officers are all trained the same way through the academy and asked how the study distinguishes among them unless they have specialized training. (1:00:35); Asked how CPD defines deployment and said patrol now often lacks beat cars in sectors because of understaffing. (1:02:08)
- Chris Taliaferro (chair): Asked whether the study identified specific titles, such as graphic artist or photographer, to be filled by civilians, noting past commitments to move officers to patrol lacked follow-up. (1:05:09); Raised concern about civilians' access to sensitive police records and data if positions are civilianized. (1:06:51); Asked whether CPD will actually implement the study's recommendations. (1:08:16)
- Bennett R. Lawson (alderperson): Asked whether civilianization is being evaluated job title by job title. (1:11:37); Asked how data and tracking will stay consistent across reorganizations, beat realignments and changes in administration. (1:12:02); Said a shortage of traffic control aides leads to police overtime near Wrigley Field and asked whether the analysis looks at police covering other departments' functions. (1:15:08)
- Ronnie L. Mosley (alderperson): Asked how to achieve geographic and beat integrity for response times and whether substations would help keep officers in areas that need them. (1:21:05); Asked about opportunities for non-sworn personnel to respond to some calls. (1:22:05); Asked about online or virtual reporting so residents are not told to go to a station to file reports. (1:23:04)
- Gregory I. Mitchell (alderperson): Asked what CPD meant by getting back with information and requested a response on resources being taken downtown from communities. (1:28:36)
- William Conway (alderperson): Asked what the overall purpose of the study was, whether community policing, consent decree compliance or reducing crime. (1:34:48); Asked whether community violence intervention programs were considered in the study. (1:38:10); Asked who is in charge of implementing the study's changes. (1:38:59)
- Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Asked the CPD presenter about her background, staff size and whether her staff do ride-alongs or academy training. (1:42:40); Said the difference in officer staffing between the 16th and 15th Districts concerns him. (1:44:55)
Exchanges between members
- 58:53 Martin thanked Taliaferro and his team for putting the hearing on the calendar.
- 1:03:35 Martin asked Napolitano whether he wanted to direct a follow-up to Matrix.
- 1:16:49 Martin interjected during Lawson's questioning to build on his point about the study as a living document.
- 1:28:36 Mitchell said Mosley had covered most of his questions and followed up on one of them.
- 1:29:38 Napolitano said his colleague asked a great question about officers responding to traffic stops and followed up on it.
- 1:34:48 Conway said his question followed on Napolitano's earlier question about the study's purpose.
- 1:38:10 Conway followed up on Mosley's questions by asking about violence intervention programs.
- 1:44:55 Sposato referred to his colleague raising the 15th and 16th District staffing and said it concerns him as well.