[remote or in person] Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability

Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
Criminal Justice

Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024
6:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m. CDT

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740 E 56th Pl Chicago, IL 60637-1408 (Directions)

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

You have the option of documenting this meeting in person or remotely. This is a special hearing of the CCPSA that has been called to discuss CPD’s patterns of pretextual traffic stops. For more context, see this article: https://www.injusticewatch.org/criminal-courts/police/2024/chicago-police-traffic-stops-off-the-books/

If you choose to attend in person, an additional hour will be added to your total assignment hours. You may be asked to provide government-issued photo ID and to go through a metal detector.

If you choose to document remotely, you will need to sign up for the Zoom meeting: https://cityofchicago-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EPm2C3_TSKG1opfiFElk6A. Never post a Zoom link directly on Twitter as this can lead to Zoombombing.

The end time listed on this assignment is an estimation based on the duration of past meetings of this type.

A video recording of the meeting may be made available after the fact at https://www.youtube.com/@chicagoccpsa/videos.

Check the source website for additional information

Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Live reporting by Ahmad Sayles

Hearing on pretextual traffic stops

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles
Good evening! I’ll be live-tweeting the City of Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability meeting for @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. 🧵

06:25 PM Aug 27, 2024 CDT

Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 2/33
Agenda here:
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 3/33
President Driver calls the meeting to order. A quorum is met. The public comment period begins.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 4/33
Alees Edwards is the first speaker. She is an 11th District Council member and supports the ending of pretextual traffic stops. She says that a member of her community was harassed and illegally searched after being stopped in front of their residence.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 5/33
The next speaker is also in support of stopping pretextual traffic stops. She says this policy is used to target Black and Latinx neighborhoods and is a waste of resources.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 6/33
Ald. La Spata (1) is the next speaker. He opposes pretextual traffic stops as well. He says that the policy leads to mistrust between police and the people they are supposed to protect.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 7/33
Alexandra Block from the ACLU is the next speaker. She says that the data shows that pretextual traffic stops target Black and brown residents. She says that the policy is nothing more than racial profiling.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 8/33
The next speaker says that pretextual traffic stops are nothing but a replacement for the illegal policy of stop and frisk. He says that reform of these policies is exactly what the CCPSA was created for.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 9/33
The next speaker says that he has been hit by drivers 3 times while riding his bike. He says the police never responded. He says that police are busy stopping people for minor traffic violations instead.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 10/33
The next speaker is Lee Bielecki, a retired CPD sergeant and 22nd district council member. He says that these traffic stops save lives and keeps guns off the streets.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 11/33
The next speaker is Darrell Dacres, 20th district council member. He says he has been harassed by police for the majority of his life. He said that one time he was detained for 36 hours for what police called mistaken identity.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 12/33
Multiple speakers are retelling their traumatic experiences with police during pretextual traffic stops. The behavior reported includes gun pointing, manhandling, yelling, and unnecessary arrests.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 13/33
The next speaker is Dion McGill, the 7th police district councilor says that he wishes that CPD Superintendent Snelling was present for this meeting. He says that these traffic stops destroy the trust between communities and the police.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 14/33
The public comment is now over. President Driver thanks everyone for their input.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 15/33
The next item on the agenda is a panel discussion regarding pretextual traffic stops. Free2Move Coalition’s Joi Imobhio and Amy Thompson will speak on behalf of the petitioners. Chief Angel Novalez will deliver a statement from CPD.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 16/33
Free2Move Coalition’s Joi Imobhio and Amy Thompson begin a presentation. She says data shows that minor traffic violations are the main reason for these stops. Meanwhile, CPD traffic stops have exploded. 80% of the stops have been Black and brown drivers.
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Free2Move Coalition’s 3-part policy to curb CPD traffic stops.
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Chief Angel Novalez delivers CPD’s statement. She says CPD wants traffic stops added to the consent decree. She says that CPD is developing additional training for traffic stops. She said at the “end of the day, this is about culture change and we didn't get here overnight.”
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 19/33
Dr. Frank Baumgartner, a professor from UNC delivers a presentation. He says legal justification for these stops started in the 80s. He says there is evidence that traffic stops occasionally save lives. He cites the arrest of the OKC bomber, Timothy McVeigh during a traffic stop.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 20/33
But he says the vast majority of these stops lead to nothing. He says that this needle-in-a-haystack strategy doesn't keep the road or citizens safe.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 21/33
Dr. Frank Baumgartner says that data in Fayetteville, NC showed that the stopping of pretextual traffic stops showed a decline in crime and an increase in people calling and trusting the police. He said that you need buy-in from law enforcement for change.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 22/33
The next presenter is Rory Pulvino, director of analytics at Justice Innovation Lab. He says the costs of pretextual traffic stops outweigh the benefits.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 23/33
Dr. JJ Naddeo shares data and charts that display no correlation between traffic stops and a decrease in crime or gun seizures.
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The next presenter is John Choi, Ramsey County Attorney. He said he used to believe that these traffic stops were necessary but he says he has evolved due to data.
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Policy entacted by the Ramsey County Attorney led to a 66% decrease in Black drivers being pulled over and it had no change on crime rates.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 26/33
John Choi says that instead of issuing tickets in his county, they issue repair vouchers through a program called Lights On. The program helps drivers get their cars in compliance. He says the program has received great reviews from law enforcement and residents.
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He says that the deaths of Philando Castile and George Floyd in Minnesota led him to look at reform efforts. He said he wanted the police to focus on real crime and clearance rates.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 28/33
Charmin Leon is the next presenter. She is the co-director of Law Enforcement Initiatives at the Center for Policing Equity. She is also a former sergeant with Cleveland Police. She says reform of the pretextual traffic stops will keep police out of the courtroom & on the streets
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 29/33
She has traveled across the county testifying in state houses in support of legislation that seeks to deprioritize low-level infractions that disproportionately affect minority motorists. “More tickets does not equate to more safety”.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 30/33
Leon says that these traffic stops lead to a financial burden on already financially stressed communities.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 31/33
Max Carter-Oberstone is an attorney specializing in appellate litigation from San Francisco. He helped develop a policy that limited stops for certain traffic violations. He said these stops are a waste of resources and they do not result in the discovery of contraband.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 32/33
President Driver thanks the audience and participants for their input in the meeting. He says he has been pulled over 4 times since April and that these interactions are not just an inconvenience. He calls the meeting to adjourn.
Ahmad Sayles @ahmad_sayles 33/33
The City of Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability meeting ends at 8:32 p.m. This ends my coverage for @chidocumenters, find more information through Eli Gillespie’s notes at chicago.documenters.org
chicago.documenters.org
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Agency Information

Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability

www.chicago.gov

(312) 742-8888

See Documenters reporting

In July 2021, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance creating a new model for police oversight, accountability, and public safety. The ordinance creates two types of bodies: a citywide Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, with power to advance systemic reform, and District Councils, which will be elected in each police district and work to improve policing and public safety in the district. The Commission and District Councils will bring police officers and Chicago residents together to plan, prioritize, and build mutual trust; strengthen the police accountability system; give Chicagoans a meaningful new role in oversight; and explore and advance alternative effective approaches to public safety.

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By India Daniels 1 week, 5 days ago
Agenda Agenda
By India Daniels 1 week, 5 days ago

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