Committee on Police and Fire meeting, February 5, 2024
- When: Mon, Feb 5, 2024, 11:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Police and Fire
- Video: https://vimeo.com/908380422
- Transcript: full text (31,425 words, official 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 Committee on Police and Fire heard five public commenters, then approved its Rule 45 report. It held a subject matter hearing on the eighth semi-annual independent monitoring report on the police consent decree, with the Law Department, CPD, COPA and the Police Board describing compliance levels; members asked about the gap between preliminary, secondary and operational compliance, loitering enforcement, and how residents and members can give feedback to the monitor. The committee approved a substitute ordinance sponsored by Alderperson Matthew J. Martin requiring a comprehensive CPD staffing analysis, which the chair said would be reported to the February 16 council meeting; Alderperson Silvana Tabares later asked to be recorded as a no. The committee also held a subject matter hearing, with no vote, on the chair's ordinance to raise the mandatory retirement age for police officers and firefighters from 63 to 65, at which the Fire Department opposed the change and CPD and the Fraternal Order of Police supported it.
Topics: police consent decree, independent monitoring report, CPD staffing analysis, mandatory retirement age, loitering enforcement, officer training, police pensions, firefighter safety, public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 18:27 Public comment
- 33:18 Rule 45 report: passed
- 34:09 Subject matter hearing on the eighth semi-annual independent monitoring report on the consent decree (January 1 to June 30, 2023): discussed
- 1:33:15 Ordinance establishing a comprehensive staffing analysis for the Department of Police (substitute) (O2023-0006424): passed
- 1:48:54 Ordinance modifying the mandatory retirement age for police officers and firefighters (subject matter hearing): discussed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Chris Taliaferro (chair): Read a statement that consent decree topics involved in pending litigation may not be answerable and that a lack of response should not be read as agreement or admission. (34:51); Asked CPD for its percentages of preliminary, secondary and operational compliance under the consent decree. (53:34); Asked why only 6% of operational compliance goals had been met and what level of compliance is needed before the city is released from the consent decree. (1:03:21)
- Jeanette B. Taylor (alderperson): Said she was confused by the compliance percentages and asked what the secondary level of compliance means, noting 26% is not a lot. (55:28); Asked whether officers are going back to training at the DuSable Museum, saying officers who work in Black communities need to understand them. (1:00:06); Requested a breakdown of officers by race, age and district, and training compliance by ward, saying many officers are not from the communities they patrol. (1:01:00)
- Samantha Nugent (alderperson): Explained compliance levels using a list of about 800 paragraphs with three boxes each, saying the city has made significant progress but the monitor and advocates have criticized the pace. (1:08:15); Raised a point of information that remote members could be heard on the livestream but not in the room. (1:34:18)
- Jason C. Ervin (alderperson): Asked about loitering enforcement in the report and whether anyone analyzes how officers use practices now under the monitor's review. (1:11:03); Said residents report not seeing loitering enforcement and asked whether cumbersome steps discourage officers from enforcing, and whether the process could be simplified. (1:13:25); Asked how officer and community feedback is gathered when the city may be compliant on paper without reaching desired outcomes. (1:18:30)
- Derrick G. Curtis (alderperson): Said he was satisfied with consent decree progress, supported a chart to explain compliance, and asked what helps officers feel comfortable enforcing loitering rules. (1:28:06); Said whether working to 65 is appropriate depends on the position, especially in fire operations, and asked how keeping veteran officers to mentor recruits affects the consent decree. (2:41:45)
- Anthony V. Napolitano (alderperson): Asked whether the monitor consistently collaborates with police unions and documents those meetings to protect collective bargaining rights. (1:30:58); Suggested comparing other city departments where workers over 63 do physical labor, said fitness is case by case, and supported raising the retirement age. (2:36:42); Asked for data on police and firefighters who died on the job of natural causes, by age. (2:39:39)
- Matthew J. Martin (alderperson): Said the substitute adds the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability as a recipient of quarterly reports and pushes each deadline back three months. (1:35:06); Said past CPD workforce studies were never completed or released and that a public, annually updated data-driven staffing study would meet a consent decree requirement. (1:35:57); Said the study is expected to cost $800,000 to $1 million and philanthropic partners have offered to fund it. (1:40:06)
- Nicholas Sposato (alderperson): Described the Fire Department's voluntary employee assistance program after traumatic events and said raising the age for firefighters is a bad idea. (2:29:03); Said he disagreed with raising the age for fire, calling firefighting physically demanding, while saying detectives, field training officers or chiefs could work longer; also raised that paramedics have no retirement age. (2:44:57)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Said a constituent was forced to retire at 63, saw value in more senior officers, and asked for CPD retirement data by age over recent years. (2:35:12)
- Silvana Tabares (alderperson): Asked to be recorded as a no on the staffing analysis ordinance and said she strongly supports raising the retirement age to 65, requesting retirement data for police and fire. (2:40:24)
Exchanges between members
- 1:08:15 Alderperson Samantha Nugent thanked the chair before explaining compliance levels.
- 1:26:22 The chair thanked Alderperson Jason C. Ervin after his questions on the monitoring report.
- 1:28:15 Alderperson Derrick G. Curtis referred to Alderperson Jason C. Ervin questions and his push for loitering enforcement.
- 1:28:36 Alderperson Derrick G. Curtis supported Alderperson Samantha Nugent suggestion of a chart explaining compliance.
- 1:32:00 The chair asked whether Alderperson Anthony V. Napolitano was still on the call during technical difficulties.
- 1:33:51 The chair gave Alderperson Matthew J. Martin, as chief sponsor, the floor to present his substitute ordinance.
- 1:39:54 The chair asked Alderperson Matthew J. Martin about the cost of the staffing study.
- 1:40:06 Alderperson Matthew J. Martin answered the chair that the study would cost $800,000 to $1 million, funded by philanthropic partners.
- 1:40:45 Alderperson Jason C. Ervin asked Alderperson Matthew J. Martin whether the study would have clear criteria set in advance.
- 1:42:24 Alderperson Matthew J. Martin responded that the consent decree outlines factors and public sharing allows input.
- 1:43:57 Alderperson Jason C. Ervin asked Alderperson Matthew J. Martin how an objective baseline would be set.
- 1:46:36 Alderperson Matthew J. Martin said quarterly updates would allow continued dialogue with members.
- 1:48:06 Alderperson Jason C. Ervin said he supports Alderperson Matthew J. Martin ordinance and would vote for it, with guardrails.
- 1:48:51 Alderperson Matthew J. Martin thanked the chair after the item was approved.
- 2:20:27 The chair responded to Alderperson Jeanette B. Taylor that the later retirement age would be optional and some people need to keep working.
- 2:23:39 The chair told Alderperson Nicholas Sposato he would get his chance to speak.
- 2:25:42 Alderperson Jeanette B. Taylor responded to the chair that there should be a health component and a broader conversation about retirement.
- 2:35:12 Alderperson Nicole T. Lee thanked the chair and asked through the chair for CPD retirement data.
- 2:36:36 Alderperson Anthony V. Napolitano thanked the chair for the opportunity to speak.
- 2:39:39 Alderperson Anthony V. Napolitano asked the chair to obtain data on deaths on the job from natural causes.