Community-Police Mediation Pilot Program
FOR RELEASE:
July 25, 2023
PRESS CONTACT:
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773-478-8417
CPD’s Community-Police Mediation Pilot Program First to Involve Complainants, OIG Inquiry Finds Program Challenged for Resources; Only Six Cases Resolved by Agreement in Six Months
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published the results of its inquiry into the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) Community-Police Mediation Pilot Program, as an alternative to resolve misconduct complaints against CPD sworn members. The pilot program, required by the consent decree entered in Illinois v. Chicago, draws on a restorative justice model, is non-disciplinary, and is Chicago’s first such program to engage the individual making a misconduct complaint against a CPD member and the accused CPD member in a dialogue, facilitated by a neutral mediator, in pursuit of collaborative problem-solving and dispute resolution. OIG’s inquiry reviewed mediation policies and practices set forth by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA), and the City’s mediation services provider, the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR). In its report, OIG offers observations for consideration as the City makes plans for a full-scale mediation program.
“The mediation pilot provided valuable insight into the potential benefits and pitfalls of adapting a long-term program. Studies have shown that mediation can build mutual empathy and foster more equitable solutions for misconduct cases,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “While the pilot has some success, additional resources are needed to ensure a robust continuation of CPD mediations.” Notably, CCR was responsible for fundraising to fund the pilot, with no designated resources from COPA or BIA.
The pilot program, which engages the complainant in the process, was introduced by the office of then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot in September 2021 and took effect for six months, starting in October 2022. OIG found that COPA referred 121 complaints for mediation between October 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. Of those referrals, eight were scheduled for mediation and six sessions ended in agreement.
The majority of referrals did not proceed in the mediation process due to either the complainant electing not to proceed with mediation or CCR being unable to contact them. Additionally, CPD members’ work shifts and community members’ availability were an obstacle to scheduling timely community-police mediation sessions. OIG also found that budget and staffing limitations for COPA and CCR, and inconsistent tracking of mediations in COPA’s Case Management System, are cause for concern for continued program implementation.
“A robust and transparent accountability system in which both members of the public and members of the police department have reason to be confident is absolutely critical to Chicago’s public safety reform effort,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “We look forward to the City’s efforts to meaningfully implement a complainant-involved mediation process as part of that system, and we hope that the observations and concerns noted in this report are helpful in the effort to do so.”
OIG’s inquiry into the Community-Police Mediation Pilot program is mandated by the consent decree entered in Illinois v. Chicago. Alleged CPD misconduct is usually investigated by BIA and COPA, with the most serious of police disciplinary cases being adjudicated by the Chicago Police Board. All of these entities come within the scope of OIG’s inquiry into the mediation program pilot.
Read the full report released on July 25, 2023.
Deanna Shoss Director of Communications and Outreach Office of Inspector General 740 N. Sedgwick, Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60654 dshoss@igchicago.org 773-478-8417
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For the first time in Chicago’s history, there is a court order mandating broad police reform. Starting in 2016, Community Renewal Society, in coalition with other community organizations in Chicago, worked with the Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, to put in place the current consent decree, adopted in January 2019. Read our blog article to learn about the consent decree.