November 16th 2023.
The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) of Chicago recently approved a new policy that prohibits police officers from joining any hate or extremist groups. On Nov. 13, the policy was passed unanimously and gave the Chicago Police Department (CPD) 60 days to respond before it officially took effect.
The policy expands on the CPD's general orders which already prohibit officers from having "membership in or affiliation with criminal organizations and from association with known members of criminal organizations." This was inspired by Robert Bakker, a CPD officer accused by the city inspector general of being associated with leaders of the Proud Boys, an anti-Semitic white supremacy organization.
The new policy also includes "bias" groups, defined as organizations that "advocate for systematic illegal prejudice, oppression, or discrimination, including disparate treatment, against an individual or group based on any protected class under federal, state, and local law." This change would have likely ended Bakker's career if it had been in effect earlier.
To ensure that this policy is being properly implemented, the Bureau of Internal Affairs Chief, Yolanda Talley, said the CPD is conducting an internal investigation which should be finished in less than six months. Mayor Brandon Johnson's new police superintendent, Larry Snelling, has also promised City Council members that there will be more "stringent" efforts to rid the department of extremists and "remove those members from our ranks."
CCPSA will be monitoring how the policy is implemented, as Johnson has the power to veto. However, that seems unlikely as he has promised to fire officers associated with extremist hate groups. With the approval of this policy, it is clear that CPD is taking steps to ensure that hate and extremist groups are no longer tolerated in their ranks.
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