CHICAGO — A recently approved federal consent decree that mandates major reforms for the Chicago Police Department (CPD) is receiving praise from the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
The consent decree, which will be enforced by a judge, stems from a 2017 lawsuit filed by the Illinois Attorney General's Office against the city in an effort to bring reforms suggested by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the Attorney General's Office. The decree focuses on the CPD polices, practices, training, "use of force," public and officer safety as well as building relationships between the CPD and the city's residents, the Attorney General's Office said.
“[This] is a new beginning for the Chicago Police Department,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “There is a significant amount of work to be done to reform, and I am committed to this important work to make Chicago safer for both residents and police officers.”
“The decree takes an important step forward in the city of Chicago’s ongoing efforts to repair the damaged relationship between its police department and members of the community whom the department serves and protects," Judge Robert Dow Jr. wrote in his opinion approving the consent decree. "But it is a beginning, not an end."
The Attorney General's Office is working with the city of Chicago to find candidates that it will recommend to the court to serve as the independent monitor," Raoul's office said.