Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that amends laws related to police reform.

Highlights:

• Requires the city to provide a training class for members of the Board of Police. The city may provide this class directly or in another manner, including by contracting with another person. The training class will cover all of the following (Sec. 7-1):

• The mission and role of the board;

• The procedures that apply to disciplinary hearings under this section, including applicable rules of evidence and applicable provisions of any contract between the city and employee associations that represent nonsupervisory law enforcement officers or firefighters;

• The conduct policies of the police and fire departments; and

• Use of force guidelines of the police department.

• Requires the board of a 2nd class city with a population of 200,000 or more to do all of the following before appointing a chief of police, chief of the fire department, or chief of a combined protective services department (Sec. 11):

• Meet in a closed session with representatives of the nonsupervisory employee association whose members will serve under the proposed chief; and

• Hold at least 2 public meetings to hear comments from residents of the city and other interested persons.

• Requires an independent monitor to do all of the following (Sec. 14-2.e):

• Act as the principal staff of the board in exercising the board's functions and powers under this law;

• Review situations or investigations when an individual is dissatisfied with the outcome of an investigation or situation involving the police, fire, or combined protective services department;

• Evaluate the policies, practices, and patterns, including staff deployments, crime and fire prevention training, use of force, search, seizure, citizen interaction, and communication of the police and fire departments or the combined protective services department; and

• Issue reports to the public at least annually relating to the status and outcome of complaints that have been filed, the timeliness of complaint resolution, trends and patterns of concern pertaining to complaint investigations, the nature and frequency of complaints, and other performance indicators.

• Specifies for a trial of a member of the police force, at least one member of the panel must have professional law enforcement experience, and for a trial of a member of the fire department, at least one member of the panel shall have professional fire fighting experience (Sec. 17.d).

• Specifies if a vacancy exists in the office of chief of police or in the office of chief engineer of the fire department, the board by a majority vote shall appoint proper persons to fill such offices respectively (Sec. 23).

• Requires the court to conduct its review without regard to any action taken or decision made by the board and will determine whether there is just cause. In making that determination, the court shall review the evidence independently and without deference to the board's findings of fact and conclusions of law (Sec. 27.a).

Full Bill Text