Consent Decree

The Chicago Police Department (CPD), has been facing a lot of challenges, which have been linked to misconduct by the police. The police have been criticised by the public, due to constantly harassing them, even without committing any offence. The public raised complaints consistently, a factor which prompted the Department of Justice (DOJ), to come up with recommendations of addressing the issue. The following is a summary of the recommendations: 

             The recommendations fell into two groups, with the first one being: to prevent misconduct from arising, through focusing on procedures, and through training and educating the police officers (Ron et al, 2014). Secondly, to improve the systems of addressing misconducts, when it occurs. The following recommendations fell in the first category:

Adopting discipline guidelines     

The department therefore came up with plans, of dealing with those officers who were found to commit any form of misconduct while in the field (Ron et al, 2014). The strictness of the consequences depended upon the gravity of the offense, and the disciplinary record of the officer. Adopting these discipline guidelines would also discourage the police from any forms of misconduct, since they would be afraid of being held responsible.  

Officers engaging in ‘Code of Silence’ should be Discharged  

Officers should not in any withhold information regarding an offender, because this might lead to poor investigation (Ron et al, 2014). In addition, any officer who provides false information regarding an offender should be discharged. This will allow officers to see the need to say the truth about an offender, thus protecting their jobs.

Adopt education-based correction    

Currently, education and complementary training are not correctional options within CPD. Even though traditional punishments may help in showing how the police officer was wrong, the punishment may not show the cause of the misconduct (Ron et al, 2014). Furthermore, the punishment may result in bitterness, which can lead to another misconduct. However, education-based discipline offers an alternative for that, since it provides the officers with ways of coping with the issue, and how to change, hence being able to work freely without resentment.

Improving Supervisory Effectiveness and Accountability

            Nowadays officers on patrol are not usually supervised, a factor which makes them to do things in their own way. In order to deal with such an issue, it would be significant to adopt a patrol squad system, expand Field Training Officer program, improving the process of hiring, training, and promoting officer, and creating an overseer mentoring and assessment program (Ron et al, 2014). Each of these proposals are significant for allowing the officers to understand their roles as officers, and how they are supposed to conduct themselves while in the field. In addition, expanding Field Training Officer program allows the officers to gain the knowledge of respecting innocent civilians, and providing them with the support they need, but not mistreating them.

The following Recommendations fall in the second category:

Making the Disciplinary System Effective, Efficient, Uniform, Timely, and Transparent    

Addressing misconduct as soon as it occurs will allow the DOJ to deal with the issue of misconduct, due to the effectiveness of the punishment and the process. In addition, the disciplinary needs to be efficient and transparent, in the sense that all officers will be treated equally based on the offenses which they committed (Ron et al, 2014). In addition, it should also be timely, thus allowing the offenses to be dealt with, hence making the system efficient. After complaint is launched, the process of investigating the officer should commence immediately, to ensure the process becomes successful, and the accused officer is also dealt with accordingly.

Most misconduct investigations have dragged for many years, a factor which has made it hard for the officers to be apprehended on time, thus making them to commit the same mistake again, even before the investigations are complete (Ron et al, 2014). All entities in the DOJ should therefore work together, in ensuring officers who offend innocent civilians are put to book, and punished on time. This will not only see the character of the officers improving, but it will also change the public’s perception towards the police. Similarly, the process of the investigation should be uniform, hence leading to the use of the provided information in the right way. On the other hand, the punishment should depend with the severity of the mistake, thus allowing the officers to understand the impact of committing an offense and its implications.

My recommendations for Improving Chicago Police

When addressing an issue, one needs to first and foremost understand the main cause of such an issue. In order to therefore come up with recommendations for improving Chicago Police, the causes of the police misconduct should be known. Secondly, these causes should then be dealt with either through educating the officers, through advising them, or through creating a close relationship between the police and the public, thus ensuring the police do not in any way commit misconduct when officers make mistakes. However, this section will provide recommendations based on the impact of police misconduct in Chicago. The following are the recommendations:

Training and Educating the Police to Handle a Situation Based on its Seriousness

Police officers are required to handle a situation based on how serious it is. A police officer should not harass an innocent civilian who complies with what he or she is being asked to do by the police officer. If a civilian does not comply with what he or she is being told by the police, then the officer should call for a backup, whereby the person will be arrested. At no point should an officer beat up a civilian, if the civilian has not done anything to provoke or offend the officer.

Officers should briefed, and asked to Arrest a Criminal based on Facts, and not on Racial Discrimination   

            Officer should only arrest a criminal, based on facts, and not on racial grounds. In Chicago, most African Americans were killed by the police, because the police saw African Americans as a threat to them. The killings were therefore not based on facts, but on the perception which the police have regarding African Americans. Police officer need therefore be trained, to only shoot a criminal if the facts presented regarding the criminal are justifiable, and if the criminal offers a form of resistance which might threaten the life of the officer. Under no situation should a police officer shoot or kill a person because of his or her colour, if the person did not offer any form of resistance during the arrest.

A Police, Civilian Committee, to deal with Misconduct should be Formed  

The committee should have members from the police and the civilians. These committee will be required to discuss, and address the challenges which the civilians are facing, and to point out the officers who are threatening the lives of the civilians. Civilians should forward their issues to the committee, where the committee will then launch an investigation into the matter, before a punishment can be issued. In so doing, officers will not conduct any misconducts, because they will be punished, immediately the matter reaches the committee (Archbold, 2013). For instance, the committee should have civilian informants, who will monitor the operations of the police officers. On the other hand, the officers who will be found guilty of an offense should be recorded, whereby the committee will observe their moves, and in case of any offense within the probation period, they should be suspended or be discharged.      

Consent Decree

This is a pact between involved parties which is submitted to a court in the form of writing. Once it is ratified by the judge, the pact becomes legally binding. Consent decree lasts for a minimum of five years, within which the DOJ should comply with the provisions of the decree. If the DOJ obtains a consent decree regarding Chicago Police Department, then the officers can expect to receive new plans and procedures regarding how services should be undertaken in CPD. This is because, DOJ takes total control of CPD, thus it will be mandated with the task of managing confidential informants, training the staff, conducting integrity audits in CPD and regulating the operations of the Police Commission and Inspector General. CPD will not for that reason be able to operate solely, but it will, depend on the dictates of DOJ, and commands will also come from the DOJ. Each department in CPD will therefore be regulated by DOJ, hence the police department will always rely on what the DOJ wants, and how the DOJ wants CPD to operate.

Reference

Ron, S, Schiff H, Kish K, and James, O. (2014). Preventing and Disciplining Police Misconduct An Independent Review and Recommendations Concerning Chicago’s Police Disciplinary System. 

Archbold, C. (2013). Policing: A text/reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.