In 2016, the City of Chicago’s Police Accountability Task Force reported on the need for fundamental reform of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Shortly thereafter, in January of 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice found that the Department had engaged “in a pattern or practice of using force, including deadly force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.” These reports have catalyzed large-scale changes to every aspect of CPD’s operations. At the same time, the City of Chicago and State of Illinois are entering into a court-enforced “consent decree” specifying significant further changes that are required for CPD to provide for the safety of everyone – police and residents – in Chicago.

Transforming one of the nation’s largest police departments is a monumental, complex task, requiring a clear vision and detailed strategy. With support from Civic Consulting Alliance and our pro bono partners — including BCG and the Zeno Group — the Chicago Police Department created the CPD Strategic Plan, a three-year strategy for the Department. The Plan will guide the Department’s implementation of requirements under the consent decree and develop a Department all Chicagoans can respect. On January 8, 2019, Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced the release of the Department’s plan as the centerpiece of his speech at the City Club.

“Our new strategic plan reflects the input, collaboration and feedback of hundreds of frontline officers, CPD leadership, community members and policing experts,” said Superintendent Johnson. “With the strategies and goals in this plan, we can continue to make CPD a department that all of Chicago can be proud of.”

The plan begins with a vision statement — the Department’s first — and an updated mission and values statement, around which reform will be pursued. Together, the vision, mission, and values describe what success looks like for CPD, how CPD will work to achieve that success, and the characteristics of an exemplary CPD officer. Input from more than 900 members of the Department – including a majority of the command staff and representation from all ranks and Bureaus – and community input documented in the Community Policing Advisory Panel’s 2017 report informed the creation of the vision, mission, and values.

The plan is built around four goals: Public Safety, Community Trust, Professional Development, and Operational Excellence. Multiple initiatives support each goal. In total, the Department will execute more than 80 initiatives over the next three years. Major projects include:

• Revising and expanding Crisis Intervention Training so officers can support and protect individuals experiencing a mental health crisis;
• Developing an internal leadership training program to create a clear pipeline of talent within CPD;
• Creating Detective Area Technology Centers across the city to provide Detectives a space to process and analyze evidence more quickly.

The Department leaders responsible for implementing each initiative were instrumental in developing the core work, incorporating ideas from executive staff across the organization along with input from front-line officers, policing experts, police agencies from across the country, and community organizations. While many initiatives outlined in the plan are already underway, more are slated to begin throughout 2019 and 2020.

Management of Chicago Police Department’s ongoing reforms, which include implementation of the Consent Decree, will be led by CPD’s recently established Offices of Reform Management and Strategy, which report directly to the Superintendent.

“This is an exciting step in a longer process that will include new hires, data dashboards, and project implementation,” said Maurice Classen, CPD’s Director of Strategy. “We’re on our way thanks to the work of the Civic Consulting Alliance.”