While residents are used to voting for citywide offices and for members of the City Council in off-year elections, this year’s ballot will include a new series of offices, as district councils will be elected in each of Chicago’s 22 police districts.
The new councils, formed as part of a City Council effort to improve police oversight and accountability, will consist of three individuals elected in each police district, according to officials. They will be elected every four years, on the same schedule as the mayoral and City Council races.
According to a city-run website, the councils will aim to build connections between police and communities, while also developing and implementing community policing initiatives.
Monthly-public meetings will be held, where residents can “raise and work to address concerns about policing in the district.”
Bishop Tavis Grant with the Rainbow Push Coalition is encouraging Chicagoans to vote, specifically in this election that will set the initial tone for the groups.
“These district councils now give us a sense of cohesion and collaboration at the community level with an element of democracy,” Grant said.
The district councils are part of an ordinance approved by Chicago City Council back in July of 2021 to create a new model for police oversight, accountability and public safety. Of the 22 police districts in the city, each district council would be made up of three people elected in regular municipal elections every four years.
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“It’s probably a good idea,” said former Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. “It all depends on their authority and how to get appointed. Honestly, I think we don’t want to put people who hate the police on those councils.”
McCarthy has questions about what level of authority this elected district council would have. He believes good policing is about more than just creating an accountability council.
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“You can’t legislate good policing,” he said. “Good policing comes from policy and training and supervision and where people violate we have to take appropriate action.”
“There’s no way that policing alone can fix the ills of unemployment, the need for more mental health intervention, the need for more community development and the whole idea of the equilibrium of everyone playing a part,” said Bishop Grant.
According to the Community Commission for Public Safety Accountability, the councils will have the following roles:
-Building stronger connections between police and the community at the district level.
-Collaborating in the development and implementation of community policing initiatives.
-Holding monthly public meetings.
-Working with communities to get input on police department practices and policies.
-Working to develop and expand restorative justice and similar programs in each district.
-Ensuring that the Community Commisssion for Public Safety and Accountability gets input from the community.
-Nominating members of that commission.
The elections come at a key time amid recent events and calls for police reform across the country.
“Chicago is a city of communities,” said Bishop Grant. “So the question has to be what kind of community do you want to live in and what is public safety and what does it mean to you?”
There is quite the field of candidates for each district, and you can find information on those candidates at the Board of Elections' website.
For those unsure of what district they live in, the city has provided PDF maps of all 22 police districts.
