Safety and Justice
March 30, 2021
In “Our City, Our Safety,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot acknowledges that violence is an equity issue that has persisted because “underlying causes—systemic racism, disinvestment, poverty, failed policing, lack of social services—have gone unaddressed” and commits “to ending violence through a multi-faceted, ...
November 15, 2020
On September 29, Mayor Lori Lightfoot released Our City, Our Safety, the City’s first comprehensive violence reduction plan, to guide public safety efforts through 2023. This plan is a critical tool in the City’s efforts to reduce community violence, and ...
August 20, 2020
As our country and our city face a summer marked by rising gun violence and widespread protests around policing, Civic Consulting Alliance remains focused on facilitating public safety and criminal justice reform to ensure that everyone – residents and police ...
December 1, 2019
Since a spike in shootings and homicides in 2016, public agencies, nonprofits, and community members across Chicago have ramped up their efforts to sustainably reduce gun violence. While these efforts have collectively contributed to a significant decrease in shootings and homicides since ...
August 1, 2019
In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice and Chicago’s Police Accountability Task Force both released reports highlighting the need to improve the relationship between the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the communities it serves. In response, CPD sought to embed ...
June 1, 2019
On May 28th, the Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities (PSPC)—a coalition of over 40 funders working to substantially reduce gun violence and increase police legitimacy in Chicago—announced $1.1 million in grants to 181 community-based organizations for programs, services, and events this ...
February 1, 2019
In January 2019, a federal judge approved a consent decree on policing in Chicago, a legally-binding agreement between the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois committing to reforms in Chicago’s public safety agencies. The consent decree mandates significant changes to ...
January 15, 2019
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 ...
July 6, 2016
Challenge
Nearly three-fourths of the men and women in Cook County Jail are held accused, but not convicted, of non-violent crimes. Many could be safely released before trial, but they remain in detention because they cannot afford to post bond. The ...