Court oversight of Chicago police reforms sought in lawsuit

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration said earlier this month that a draft deal negotiated by the city and the Justice Department — one that foresees a monitor not selected by a court — is being reviewed in Washington.

Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor and one of the more than a dozen plaintiff attorneys involved in the legal action, said reports about the draft agreement — which he called “a backroom deal without any teeth” — influenced the decision to sue now.

“This is the community stepping up when the government refuses to act and when it has long been clear that the city is incapable of acting on its own,” he said.

Emanuel’s chief city lawyer, Edward Siskel, said Chicago officials would have preferred court oversight but were left little choice because the Trump administration didn’t favor it.

“We wish the Department of Justice would have followed through with their commitment to a consent decree — but we are not there,” he told reporters Wednesday. He contended that reforms outside of court supervision had “a proven track record of success.”

Futterman said the city does have a choice now that the lawsuit is filed: Emanuel could give up on the Justice Department altogether and decide to hammer out a court-enforced reform plan with the groups that are suing.

Even if the city sticks with the Justice Department, the judge presiding over the new lawsuit could side with the community groups and mandate reforms via a court order.

“This is a real test for the mayor as to whether he is truly committed to police reform in Chicago,” Futterman said.

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