Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg appears on “Chicago Tonight” on July 25, 2023. (WTTW News)
Chicago’s city watchdog says it has been released from its obligations under the court-mandated overhaul of police policies and reforms.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg on Wednesday said the court overseeing the federal consent decree has found that her office and its public safety section are in “full and effective compliance” with all applicable requirements.
That means the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is the first city agency to meet its consent decree obligations.
“I am incredibly proud of the work OIG has done in the service of our consent decree obligations, and to lead by example in the City’s progress toward public safety reform,” Witzburg said in a statement. “Having been released from our own obligations, I look forward to working closely with the consent decree monitor and with our partners in City government to help ensure that Chicagoans see real change — on the street, not just on paper.”
Among its court ordered obligations, the OIG is tasked with reviewing and reporting on investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct by CPD members; report on the enforcement of CPD’s rule against false reports and enforcement review closed disciplinary investigations conducted by CPD and Civilian Office of Police Accountability for “thoroughness, fairness, and objectivity.”
The consent decree was issued after a 2017 federal investigation found Chicago officers had routinely violated the constitutional rights of Black and Latino residents. That probe was launched following the 2014 murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer.
The latest report from the monitoring team tasked with tracking the CPD’s progress found the department is in full compliance with just 6% of its consent decree requirements.
