The Public Safety section conducts independent, objective evaluations and reviews of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), and the Police Board, with the goal of enhancing the effectiveness of public safety, protecting civil liberties and civil rights, and increasing the public’s confidence in the system.The section also conducts inspections of closed disciplinary investigations conducted by COPA and CPD’s Bureau of Internal Affairs.
The section’s distinctive value within the City of Chicago’s public safety oversight system derives from its long-term, systemic perspective on necessary reforms, direct access to and utilization of City data systems, deep institutional knowledge of City operations, and position of independence from all other components of City government. In setting its priorities, the section also coordinates and confers with the Independent Monitoring Team charged with ensuring compliance with the Consent Decree entered in Illinois vs. Chicago.
