RESOLUTION
WHEREAS; The Chicago Police Department has a history of using deadly force in a manner that disproportionately harms Chicago's African American and Latino residents; and
WHEREAS, Even in nori-fatality cases, this use of deadly force has the effect of causing permanent psychological and physical harm to its victims, and when employed in an unconstitutional manner, has cost the City of Chicago millions of dollars in judgments and court settlements; and
WHEREAS, In January of 2019, the State of Illinois and City, of Chicago entered into a federal consent decree in which the Chicago Police Department agreed and committed to constitutional and effective law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, The Consent Decree provides that officers may only use force for a lawful purpose, that officers will allow individuals to voluntarily comply with orders before force is used, and that force will not be used as punishment or retaliation against a person for fleeing, resisting arrest, insulting an officer, or engaging in protected First Amendment activity; and
WHEREAS, The Consent Decree requires that officers use force only when it is objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional under the totality ofthe circumstances; and
WHEREAS, The Consent Decree further provides that officers are prohibited from using deadly force except in circumstances where there is an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to an officer or another person, and in such cases deadly force can only be used as a last resort; and
WHEREAS, Under the Consent Decree, deadly force may never be used against a person who is-a threat only to himself or herself, or to property, and officers are prohibited from using deadly force against fleeing subjects who do not pose an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm; and
WHEREAS, the Consent Decree prohibits the use of carotid artery restraints, chokeholds, or any other technique that intentionally puts pressure on a person's airway or carotid artery as a means to take down a suspect unless the use of deadly force is authorized; and
WHEREAS, The events of the last several weeks have shined a spotlight on the actions of police departments across the country as a result of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, including the Chicago Police Department's response to protests resulting from this crime; and
WHEREAS, News outlets and social media have reported many instances of protesters, and even journalists, being beaten and pepper sprayed by Chicago Police officers at protests, and of Chicago Police officers not turning on body cameras, concealing their identities, and otherwise engaging in unprofessional conduct; and
WHEREAS, Since George Floyd's death, the Civilian Off ice of Police Accountability has received oyer 250 complaints against the Chicago Police Department alleging excessive force, improper search and seizure, and verbal abuse, and most of these complaints have been related to these recent protests; and
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WHEREAS, While the vast majority of Chicago Police officers perform their duties in a constitutional, fair, and effective manner under exceptionally stressful circumstances, the number of reports of police misconduct indicate that the Chicago Police Department has not fully lived up to the promises it made in the Consent Decree; and
WHEREAS, It is imperative that the Mayor and City Council, as the elected representatives of those whom the Chicago Police Department serves, become informed about the Chicago Police Department's progress toward compliance with the Consent Decree, and its plans to ensure that all of its officers engage in constitutional and effective policing; now, therefore,
BE It RESOLVED, That we, the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this seventeenth day of June, 2020, hereby call upon the Superintendent ofthe Chicago Police Department, or a knowledgeable designee, to appear before the City Council Committee on Public Safety to report on the Department's progress toward compliance with the Consent Decree, and the Department's plans to ensure that all officers engage in constitutional and effective policing.
Emma Mitts Alderman, 37th Ward
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