>> MAYOR LIGHTFOOT'S
CONTROVERSIAL PROPOSAL TO FIGHT
GANGS FAILS TO PASS IN CITY
COUNCIL IT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED
THE CITY TO GO AFTER ASSET AND
PROFITS EARNED BY CHICAGO GANGS
MANY AND THEY APPROVE THE NEW
ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE POLICE
ACCOUNTABILITY AGENCY.
HEATHER CHERONE JOINS WITH US
MORE.
A SURPRISE.
REMIND US WHAT THE GANG ASSET
SEIZURE WOULD DO AND ALL THE
CRITICISM IT'S GOTTEN?
>> WELL, MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT
SAID THIS IS A TOOL THAT THE
CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT AND
THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF LAW
NEEDS TO FIGHT SOARING CRIME
RATES.
SHE SAYS THE ONLY WAY TO STOP
THIS KIND OF CRIME IS TO HURT
GANGS AND GANG LEADERS WHERE IT
HURTS MOST.
THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS.
BUT OPPONENTS OF THE MEASURE SAY
THAT THIS MEASURE WON'T DO
ANYTHING TO STOP CRIME BECAUSE
GANGS ARE NO LONGER MAJOR
ORGANIZATIONS ANYMORE LIKE THEY
WERE BACK IN THE 1970s OR EVEN
THE 1920s AND THIS MEASURE
WILL ULTIMATELY HURT BLACK AND
LATINO CHICAGOANS WHO MAY HAVE
FAMILY MEMBER INVOLVED IN GANGS
AND NOT INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY THEMSELVES AND THERE
ARE QUESTIONS WHETHER IT WOULD
BE EFFECTIVE AT ALL.
>> ALD PEOPLE DID NOT VOTE ON
THIS.
DEFER AND PUBLISH TWO WILL DELAY
THIS AND THOSE WERE TALIAFERRO
AND NAPOLITANO.
WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU THAT THEY
DID THIS?
>> BOTH ALDERMEN NAPOLITANO AND
TALIAFERRO ARE CLOSE ALLIES TO
THE MAYOR.
THE MOVE THEY MADE TOLD ME THE
MAYOR DID NOT HAVE THE 25 VOTES
SHE NEEDED TO GET IT PASSED.
AND SHE DISPUTED THAT.
SHE SAID NO THEY MADE A DECISION
TO PUT OFF THE VOTE TO EDUCATE
MORE ALDERPEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THIS
MEASURE WOULD DO.
THIS PROPOSAL HAS BEEN AROUND
SINCE SEPTEMBER AND I'M NOT
CLEAR WHAT ISN'T CLEAR ABOUT
THIS MEASURE.
YOU EITHER ARE FOR IT OR AGAINST
IT.
AND IT'S CLEAR THAT IN POLITICS
YOU KNOW THIS AS WELL AS I DO,
IF YOU HAVE THE VOTES YOU VOTE.
IF YOU DON'T, YOU TRY AGAIN
ANOTHER TIME.
>> IF THEY HAD THE VOTES THEY
WOULD NOT WANT TO DELAY THAT.
CITY COUNCIL ALSO APPROVED
ANDREA KERSTEN AS ADMINISTRATOR
OF THE CIVILIAN OFFICE OF POLICE
ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND HERE IS A CLIP FROM MARIA
HADDEN MAKING HER CASE FOR
KERSTEN DURING TODAY'S DEBATE.
>> I CAN UNDERSTAND THE STRONG
FEELINGS THAT YOU HAVE.
I WISH THAT THOSE FEELINGS
EXTENDED TO THE LIVES OF BLACK
RESIDENTS IN THE CITY.
AS SOME OF THOSE SAME COLLEAGUES
WHO HAVE BEEN SO VOCAL ARE THE
SAME PEOPLE WHO DMPED A
SETTLEMENT IF YOU WANT LAW AND
ORDER, CONSISTENCY,
ACCOUNTABILITY, WE NEED IT FROM
ALL OF US.
>> MARIA HADDEN IS REFERENCING A
POLICE SETTLEMENT THAT WAS
BLOCKED.
DESPITE KERSTEN'S APPROVAL THERE
WAS CRITICISM FROM ALDERPEOPLE.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> THERE WAS.
14 ALDERPEOPLE VOTED AGAINST
CONFIRMING HER TO LEAD C.O.P.A.,
THE AGENCY CHARGED WITH
INVESTIGATING POLICE MISCONDUCT
AND THIS NOMINATION RAN AGROUND
AMID A RELEASE OF A REPORT
RECOMMENDING THAT SLAIN OFFICER
ELLA FRENCH BE REPRESENTMANTED
FOR HER ROLE.
BEFORE ELLA FRENCH WAS SHOT TO
DEATH BUT RELEASED AFTER HER
DEATH AND IT REALLY UPSET A LOT
OF ALDERPEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THAT
IT BESMIR.
ED HER LEGACY AND HURT HER
FAMILY.
ANDREA KERSTEN SAID SHE HAD NO
CHOICE TO RELEASE THE REPORT AS
WRITTEN.
AND THAT IS THE ARGUMENT THAT
CARRIED THE DAY TODAY.
>> SO NOW C.O.P.A. HAS A
PERMANENT ADMINISTRATOR BUT THIS
WILL BE THE LAST ADMINISTRATOR
APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL.
EXPLAIN WHY?
>> SOON A NEW OVERSIGHT BOARD IS
GOING TO TAKE EFFECT OF MEMBERS
OF THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY AND IT
WILL BE UP TO THAT BOARD TO PICK
THE NEXT HEAD OF C.O.P.A.
THAT WILL NO LONGER BE UP TO THE
CITY COUNCIL.
>> AND WHAT ARE BIG THINGS THAT
KERSTEN HAS AHEAD OF HER WITH
C.O.P.A.?
>> SHE HAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK
AHEAD HE HAVE HER.
SHE --
AHEAD OF HER.
SHE IS INVOLVED IN THE EFFORT TO
GET THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT TO COMPLY WITH THE
FEDERAL COURT ORDER THAT REFORMS
THE WAY THE DEPARTMENT OPERATES
TO INSURE THAT IT PROTECTS THE
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF
CHICAGOANS.
SHE IS ALSO INVOLVED IN SORT OF
HELPING TO CLEAR A BACKLOG OF
CASES.
SHE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS IN
THAT BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
CASES THAT ARE LINGERING OUT
THERE, INCLUDING THE SHOOTING
DEATH OF 13-YEAR-OLD ADAM
TOLEDO.
>> A PERMANENT ADMINISTRATOR FOR
C.O.P.A. BUT STILL NO PERMANENT
INSPECTOR GENERAL.
X MANY DAYS SINCE CHICAGO HAD A
PERMANENT INSPECTOR GENERAL.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND WE'LL SEE YOU LATER WITH
THE REST OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS
TEAM.
>> AND YOU CAN READ HEATHER AREA
STORY ON WTTW.COM/NEWS.