The agency charged with investigating Chicago police misconduct is getting new leadership.

Andrea Kersten recently resigned as chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, known as COPA. The move happened after the city’s police oversight board — the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability — issued a letter to Kersten saying it was planning to take a vote of no confidence in her leadership.

The commission said it identified “critical failures of leadership (that) seriously undermine the quality and integrity of COPA’s work.”

Kersten slammed the allegations as unfair and unfounded. In her own letter, she said CCPSA’s claims “lacked any factual basis.”

“These failures call into question CCPSA’s impartiality, motives, dedication to veracity and basis for seeking the no-confidence vote,” Kersten wrote.

CCPSA President Anthony Driver Jr. and Vice President Remel Terry wrote in their letter dated Jan. 28 that the commission had identified “a recurring pattern of conduct that reflects a lack of professionalism and effective leadership.”

Driver and Terry said they heard a number of complaints from COPA employees regarding the work environment and leadership. Terry said the fact that employees felt comfortable enough to voice their concerns means there’s a positive relationship between CCPSA and COPA.

“We are excited about the opportunity to have new leadership,” Terry said. “One that we can be very clear about the expectations that they will be held to and that this commission will not take our eye off the prize in terms of holding people accountable no matter which role they serve in.”

Driver and Terry outlined those complaints including COPA’s process in handling allegations that a Chicago police officer had sexual contact with an underage migrant forced to sleep on the floor of the Ogden (10th) Police District headquarters, which patrols Lawndale and Little Village. COPA opened that probe in July 2023 and closed it in September 2023 after determining the allegations were unfounded. CCPSA said several other high-profile investigations were also mishandled.

“We were very intentional in not just hearing things but ensuring that we had everyone weigh in their positions and made a decision from there,” Terry said.

Driver and Terry also criticized public statements Kersten made regarding the March 21, 2024, fatal police shooting of Dexter Reed. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling shared the same sentiment, saying Kersten acted “irresponsibly” by publicly questioning whether the officers lied about why they stopped Reed’s vehicle shortly before the shooting.

“There was information put out as facts,” Driver said. “There’s no way to know that there were five people on the scene that day, five officers that stopped Dexter Reed and obviously Dexter Reed himself. Those are the only people who can say definitely why they pulled him over. If you hear that from someone else on the scene who may have come later, even if it’s true, even if it’s something that you heard from somebody else, it’s hearsay. Until you can verify that, we believe that’s not something that should’ve been put forward.”

Kersten claimed CCPSA criticism created a hindrance for her office.

“Now that a chief administrator has finally begun fulfilling these mandates that became enshrined in the consent decree — to do the hard things that the city asked of it — CCPSA has apparently decided that it wishes that COPA and the city’s accountability system retreat from this reform pathway,” Kersten wrote. “CCPSA has rendered one of the hardest jobs in city government even more difficult.”

While Driver said he respects the former chief administrator and her opinion, he still found that sentiment to be “patently false.” He emphasized the commission was created to have accountability and it remains their responsibility. Driver said more than 10% of the COPA workforce came forward with allegations.

“If that’s the case,” Driver said, “I would ask her why people she promoted multiple times felt the need to come forward.”

Police reforms continue to move at a glacial pace. CPD has fully met just 9% of requirements outlined in the federal court order known as the consent decree, according to the most recent report by monitors. Additionally, city data shows Chicago taxpayers spent at least $107.5 million to resolve police misconduct lawsuits in 2024 — a 43% increase from 2023.

“We are on a path to address all of these concerns,” Terry said. “I do believe we will see a change in the tides in a lot of those concerns, but those things take time. So if there is an expectation that overnight we’re going to see a significant decrease, we would all love that, that’s what we’re pushing for. However, we know that slow drips can create a waterfall.”

Heather Cherone contributed to this report. 

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