Joint Committee on l-'iiiaiice and Committee on Public Safety
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago is a home rule municipality pursuant to Article VII, Section 6. ofthe 1970 Illinois Constitution and, as such, may exercise any power and perform any function related to its government and affairs; and
WHEREAS, The corporate authorities have determined that a significant number of court prosecutions for the offense of possession of fifteen grams or less of cannabis are dismissed and therefore have a limited deterrent effect, and consume significant police and prosecutor resources without a corresponding public benefit; and
WHEREAS, The City Council of the City of Chicago passed an ordinance June 27, 2012 addressing the policing and adjudication process for these offenses; and
WHEREAS, Pursuant to section 7-24-099 ofthe Municipal Code ofthe City of Chicago, it has been ordained that the prosecution of such offenses in situations not involving aggravating factors may be heard in the City's Department of.Administrative Hearings so as to diminish the negative impact on police resources; and
WHEREAS, Chicago police officers now have the discretion to issue an Administrative Notice of Violation to individuals who have violated the above referenced section ofthe municipal code in lieu of making a custodial arrest; and
WHEREAS, Fines collected from successful prosecutions of these offenses in the Department of Administrative Hearings are to be used for anti-drug efforts; and
WHEREAS, Other major cities in the United States such as Philadelphia and New York have taken or are considering taking similar such measures to address the unlawful possession of small amounts of cannabis; and
WHEREAS, Various media outlets have questioned the implementation and effectiveness ofthe City's approach to policing minor cannabis possession infractions; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, that we the members ofthe City Council ofthe City of Chicago do hereby request that representatives of the Chicago Department of Police and the Office of Budget and Management appear before the Joint Committee of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Public Safety at a hearing concerning the implementation and effectiveness ofthe policing and adjudication of the offense of small amounts of cannabis in accordance with the dictates of section 7-24-099 of fheJvlunicipal Code of the^ity of Chicago.