The City Council Thursday voted to reject an arbitrator’s ruling that would have allowed Chicago Police officers accused of serious wrongdoing to use an arbitrator instead of the Police Board.
“This fight today, is about how we hold police accountable,” said 5th Ward Ald. Desmond Yancy said.
The 32-18 vote will almost certainly send the matter back to Circuit Court Judge Michael Mullen, who will have to decide whether officers recommended for firing will be allowed to take advantage of the arbitration process open to other Illinois governmental employees.
“The right to arbitration is clear as day and it is guaranteed by the state constitution under the Workers Protection Amendment,” 23rd Ward Ald. Silvana Tabares said. The police union is vowing to challenge the council decision both in court and at the ballot box.
“They have all but thrown the gauntlet down,” Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said, adding that the mayor made himself "public enemy number one" in 2027, when the next mayoral election will take place.
Judge Mullen is expected to take up the arbitration question again at a hearing on Feb. 26.
The vote comes on the heels of Johnson’s controversial decision to end the city’s ShotSpotter contract.
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“You cannot lead like that. We are going to have this situation blow up in our face right now and it's going to be to the detriment of our communities,” 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez.
The mayor defended himself at a press conference after the vote, but provided few specifics on how police would move forward without ShotSpotter.
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“I have always been clear about how my administration would engage on the issue and about how the Chicago Police Department can draw down on this particular kind of technology,” he said.
