Chicago Police Department Consent Decree
Calls for reform of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) have been made repeatedly, following a number of incidents of police violence and excessive force, culminating in Officer Jason Van Dyke’s shooting of Laquan McDonald in 2014. The federal Justice Department investigated the CPD, and called for a consent decree in Jan 2017, citing the police force as poorly trained and prone to excessive violence, especially against minorities. Finally, the City of Chicago was sued in August 2017 to force the adoption of a consent decree.
On Jan 12, 2019, the Chicago Tribune published the Letter to the Editor written by Nancy Burke, PsiAN Co-Chair. Her letter reiterates that increasing the number of mental health counselors at CPD to ten pales in comparison to the need, and eloquently outlines the dangers of failing to take seriously the traumas that first responders and their mental health treatment providers might experience. Her letter is here: letter to Tribune editor_1.8.19
In August 2018, PsiAN wrote in support of the letter crafted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other profit organizations. We specifically highlighted the needs to support police officers and others, such as 911 operators, who may be impacted by trauma, and to increase resources dedicated to mental health treatment, including supervision for those counseling first responders. Our letter is here: PsiAN Comments on CPD Consent Decree_8.17.18