- We recommend that IPRA should continue to conduct police misconduct investigations until CPIA is able to assume responsibility for those investigations. During this interim period, the following actions should be taken:
- IPRA should contract with an independent, third-party entity, such as the Police Assessment Resource Center (PARC) or the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), to conduct an ongoing audit of IPRA’s operations and to audit each completed investigation prior to finalization. IPRA staff should defer to the outside entity’s findings regarding deficiencies in investigative practices and findings.
- IPRA should immediately begin implementing, where possible, the transparency requirements recommended for CPIA.
- IPRA, with oversight and guidance from the City of Chicago Inspector General and the incoming Chief Administrator of CPIA, should begin the process of drafting a series of transition memos that will attempt to memorialize institutional knowledge regarding technology infrastructure, complaint intake processes, investigative protocols, interactions with the police department, and all other topics identified as critical to a successful transition to CPIA.
- IPRA should engage in the community outreach activities described for CPIA.
- IPRA should review and clarify its process and criteria for the affidavit override process and keep data related to it. IPRA should also be more proactive in seeking affidavits. Investigators used to actively seek out the affidavits, sometimes even knocking on doors. Investigators now play a much more passive role and have placed the burden on the complainant.
- IPRA should develop and adopt a clear discipline matrix that provides a range of potential penalties for different types of misconduct, along with aggravating and mitigating factors that can be considered.