Nearly three-quarters of the people in Cook County Jail are held accused, but not convicted, of non-violent crimes. Many defendants could be safely released before trial, but cannot afford their bond. The human cost is high: while detainees await trial, their lives are interrupted, often affecting their housing, employment, education, family, and relationships.

Much like the benefits of intergovernmental alignment and coordination, philanthropic foundations aiming to reduce gun violence can be more effective when they harness the collective impact by aligning strategy, funding, initiatives, and outcomes.

Firearm violence is a multifaceted challenge that requires a public health approach to stop the cycles of violence in disproportionately impacted communities. The Reimagine Public Safety Act, which was passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2021, resulted in the creation of the State of Illinois’ Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP).

The Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC), is a first-of-its-kind, multi-agency coordination center to advance a whole of government, community-driven approach to violence prevention and reduction for the City of Chicago. The CSCC brings together City departments and agencies—ranging from the Chicago Police Department to those not traditionally considered part of the safety ecosystem, such as Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Park District, and Chicago Public Schools—alongside community organizations and leaders to advance community safety initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of violence. The CSCC takes a place-based approach, focusing on 15 communities prioritized in the City’s comprehensive violence reduction plan, “Our City, Our Safety,” starting with West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, Little Village, and Englewood.

The State of Illinois has declared gun violence a public health crisis. The City of Chicago, Cook County, and State of Illinois pledged a combined $350 million to reimagine their approach to public safety and quell the violence. However, reimagining public safety at the local and state level requires unprecedented collaboration between dozens of entities. Civic Consulting Alliance responded to their request to coordinate across these civic entities and maximize the collective impact of public funding.

In July 2021, Chicago’s City Council passed the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance. This landmark ordinance creates two bodies: a new city agency called the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), 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 give community members powerful new tools to provide oversight of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), COPA (Civilian Office of Police Accountability), and the Police Board, while promoting meaningful community engagement to build and implement public safety solutions.

Since 2019, CPD has made progress on specific consent decree mandates. However, there has not yet been intentional focus on the complementary cultural change that is needed to realize the spirit of reform. Building on our prior work to support CPD and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) in preparing for and responding to the consent decree, in 2021 and 2022, Civic Consulting Alliance undertook a series of projects to achieve this culture change and to accelerate the Department’s reform efforts.