Editor’s Note

Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.

Quote of the Week

“Don’t do ShotSpotter, don’t throw that money away. The people who are advocating for it so hard … you are reactionary and you don’t want to see progress in Chicago.”

— Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression during public comment, speaking in favor of ending the city’s contract with ShotSpotter.

[Chicago City Council, Sept. 18, 2024]

ShotSpotter veto

As of Sunday, the controversial gunshot detection technology Shotspotter is officially out of Chicago. Last week, after a months-long battle between City Council and Mayor Brandon Johnson regarding the fate of ShotSpotter, alders voted to suspend the rules, which gives the mayor contracting power and in turn give Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling the power to extend the existing ShotSpotter deal or enter into a new contract for similar technology. 

Following the meeting, Johnson announced he was vetoing the ordinance, despite the majority vote. According to the city’s legal department, the ordinance was in violation of the Separation of Powers Act, which does not allow City Council to compel the mayor to act. Therefore, lawyers said, the item was still vetoable. 

While the battle over ShotSpotter precedes Johnson, the current fight began in February, when Johnson made formal moves to end the city’s contract with the gun detection company. With the end of the contract, Johnson is making good on a campaign promise. A report from MacArthur Justice Center shows “more than 90% of ShotSpotter alerts lead police to find no evidence to corroborate gunfire when police arrive at the location ShotSpotter sent them: no shooting, no shell casings, no victims, no witnesses, no guns recovered.” Since August 2018, the city has spent over $53 million on contracts with ShotSpotter. 

Show me the (CPD) money

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability is gearing up for the impending budget season. The bulk of the Chicago City budget process will take place during October and November after Mayor Brandon Johnson presents his budget proposal. After which, Chicagoans — both alders and community members — weigh in on the budget, in particular how much money is allocated toward things like public safety, public health and city services — which, of course, includes police. Though CCPSA is not in charge of the Chicago Police Department budget, council members are allowed to voice opinions. CCPSA President Anthony Driver says the council is pushing for budget transparency, and workforce allocations, officer training and wellness and civil litigations are some of his biggest priorities for the 2025 CPD budget. In the 2024 fiscal year, CPD made up slightly less than 40% of the city’s entire workforce and accounted for nearly 12% of the city budget.

Tale of two DNCs

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling applauded CPD officers for their behavior during the DNC, and several senior community members from neighborhoods surrounding the United Center shared their gratitude for CPD’s work during the convention. Snelling did not mention the 17 complaints that were filed against CPD officers related to the DNC, including several for use of excessive force. He also did not mention CPD used mass arrests to break up a protest in the West Loop, a tactic that was strongly criticized by legal groups.

Big bucks on wrongful convictions

Alders approved five wrongful conviction settlement amounts; the Law Department will now try to settle these cases out of court to reduce the city’s ongoing financial liability for police misconduct and abuse. In one case, Alvin Waddy is seeking to recover damages from prosecution that resulted from his April 2007 arrest by a tactical team led by former Sergeant Ronald Watts. Waddy alleges malicious prosecution and conspiracy against the officers and the city. The Law Department recommends the city settle this case out of court for $500,000. Waddy spent 394 days in prison after he was wrongfully convicted for possessing cocaine with intent to deliver. He was released on parole in May 2008 and granted a certificate of innocence in 2019. 

A version of this story was first published in the September 25, 2024 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Editorial Director Ariel Cheung at ariel@citybureau.org.