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Live reporting by Eliot Wyeth
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CPD still hasn’t met all the requirements of the consent decree

Eliot Harper Wyeth @elharpwhy
Good evening Chicago! Tonight I'll be covering the Police Board meeting for @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters

07:20 PM Dec 21, 2023 CST

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This meeting is being held in person at 3510 S Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60653, Public Safety Headquarters.
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The Chicago Police Board has also started a youtube page for viewing these meetings after the fact, which can be found here:
youtube.com/@chicagopolice…
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It is also being streamed on Channel 27.
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President Kyle Cooper has opened the meeting. This is his first meeting since his appointment on the 13th.
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The Board has reviewed the minutes of their closed meetings, and maintained that confidentiality still needs to maintained.
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Aileen Robinson, Assistant Director, is giving a presentation on officer-involved domestic violence.
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The rates of domestic violence in Chicago are comparable to any other major city.
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The department has a policy of "meeting the victim where they are" - i.e., if they want to pursue consequences, the dept will accompany them at every step; if they want nothing to do with the process, they will accommodate that too.
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They also provide medical and legal support.
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They can also support victims in finding shelter, even if they need to be far outside the city for their safety.
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There are a few new services: support for victims of sexual misconduct, support for non-targets of search warrants, and support for the families of people who were killed.
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Some victims end up needing to go on government assistance; they provide support in navigating those processes too.
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Ms. Robinson opens for questions. Rev Michael Eaddy asks what happens when the victim does not pursue consequences for the offender. She clarifies that department members are still held accountable.
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Vice President Paula Wolff asks how often victims show up to hearings. Ms Robinson suggests a ballpark figure of 15%.
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Ms Wolff asks if no consequences are given, are there are repeat offenses? Ms Robinson clarifies that they don't work with offenders for ethical reasons; they refer those people out to other services.
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Ms Wolff asks if there are other departments that serve offenders. Ms Robinson says that she has done the research and she is aware of none.
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This concludes Ms Robinson's presentation.
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Next is police disciplinary cases.
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The details of these cases were discussed in a closed meeting.
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Officer Patrick Brown is suspended without pay in a vote of 5 to 2.
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Superintendent recommended Officer Michael Mancha be removed from the department, but he has resigned. This vote is to withdraw charges, because he is no longer a member of the dept. Passes 9 to 0.
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Next is appeals for disqualified applicants to become a Chicago police officer. Details regarding these appeals were discussed in a closed meeting.
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First motion passes (no details given).
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Superintendant Snelling reports that in 2023 there were fewer shootings and fewer homicides than there were in 2022.
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Thanks to their vehicular highjacking team, there was a 21% reduction in highjackings.
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The department recovered over $1m in stolen merchandise in 2023.
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Chief Administrator of COPA Andrew Kersten is now giving her report.
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There is now a policy of posting footage of all officer-involved shooting deaths.
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Ms Kersten praises the inclusion of Aileen Robinson's presentation. COPA has a dedicated team for incidents of domestic violence and sexual misconduct.
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Public comment is open. Matt Brandon is up first.
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He is here on behalf of Operation Neighborhood Safety. He thanks the dept for legitimizing their organization, among others.
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June Northly is up next, and she is also with Operation Neighborhood Safety. She urges the board members to get on the ground and be hands-on with the public to better understand their constituents.
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Robert Moore is called next. He is not here.
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Incoming Board President Kyle Cooper thanks outgoing President Ghian Foreman for all of his work over the last ten years.
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Meeting is adjourned at 8:25PM.
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This concludes your coverage of the December 2023 Police Board Meeting. The next meeting will be January 18th, 7:30PM, Chicago Public Safety Headquarters (3510 S Michigan Ave). For more meeting coverage, visit #CHIdocumenters
documenters.org