Tension between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department exposed by the fatal shooting of Officer Ella French widened Wednesday, as the mayor defended the decision by a high-ranking officer to cut short a ritual meant to honor the fallen officer.
Fraternal Order of Police
Police Officers to Get Back Pay, Face New Accountability Rules Under Proposed 8-Year Deal: Lightfoot
The mayor announced Monday that negotiators had reached an eight-year deal that offers more than 11,000 Chicago police officers annual average raises of approximately 2.5% — while imposing new rules on officers suspected of misconduct.
The roadblocks preventing a new deal between the police union and city officials are unchanged since the contract expired on June 30, 2017 — and both sides are dug in and unwilling to compromise.
In a video message, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara announced that his union membership spoke “loud in clear” during a general meeting Wednesday in issuing the vote against city leaders.
The massive, 764-page criminal justice reform bill will eliminate cash bail, require law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and create a certification program for police. “This legislation marks a substantial step towards dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.
Both the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives approved the sweeping measure Wednesday, which could end the practice of cash bail in Illinois and make it easier to decertify officers who commit misconduct.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx shares her reaction to the riots at the U.S. Capitol, police reform and more in a one-on-one conversation.
A resolution signed by 35 aldermen comes days after police union head John Catanzara praised the rioters who stormed and invaded the U.S. Capitol building.
John Catanzara, head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, said his comments earlier this week were in "no way condoning the violence in" Washington D.C.
Fraternal Order of Police President Lodge 7 John Catanzara faces possible termination from his position with the Chicago Police Department over multiple inflammatory social media posts.
A little over a month after she won reelection, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was officially sworn in. Following the ceremony, she reflected on the challenges of 2020 and looked ahead to the next four years.
Collective bargaining agreements for officers provide protections that stand in the way of accountability, even when the federal government is overseeing an agency through a consent decree, experts said.
The case stems from a yearslong battle between the city of Chicago and the Fraternal Order of Police, which has argued that its collective bargaining agreement requires complaint files be destroyed after five years.
The conditions under which Chicago police officers can use force will be reviewed by a new community working group, but even before its work begins in earnest the group itself is under a degree of scrutiny.
John Catanzara says he’s “not too concerned” with the opinions of his critics, and he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to secure what the Chicago police union has lacked for nearly three years: a contract with the city.
Chicago’s new and outspoken police union President John Catanzara said Sunday there’s been mixed reaction to his election, but he’s coming into the job with backing at the highest level: the White House.
