Press Release

Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability Announces Public Release of Draft Traffic Stops Policy

Date:

April 24, 2025

CHICAGO, IL- Today, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) released draft versions of a Traffic Stops policy, now available for public review and comment on the CCPSA website. The policy would govern how CPD officers conduct, review, and train for traffic stops, and lay out how the policy would be assessed and potentially modified in the future.

Over a year ago, the Independent Monitor overseeing the Consent Decree between the City of Chicago and the state of Illinois recommended that traffic stops be included in the Consent Decree. If adopted, this would place any changes to CPD’s traffic stop policy under the oversight of the Independent Monitor and the federal judge overseeing the Consent Decree case.However, traffic stops have not yet been formally included in the Consent Decree. Doing so would require an agreement between the City of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General, and the approval of the judge in the Consent Decree case.

The Commission has consistently stated that if traffic stops are included in the Consent Decree, the Commission would need to play an important role in shaping the policy. The Commission and CPD have been working closely together for months on developing this policy. On April 21, 2025, both CPD and the Commission submitted versions of a proposed traffic stops policy to the Attorney General and the Independent Monitor. Much of the language in the two versions is identical, but there are also key differences.

“Traffic stops are among the most common and often most tense, interactions between police and the public,” said President Anthony Driver Jr. “These encounters can leave a lasting impact on individuals and communities. That’s why it’s our responsibility, as a Commission, to ensure these interactions are governed by clear, fair rules. Traffic stops policy should reflect what we’ve heard from Chicagoans- people want a system that builds trust, respects their rights, and ensures safety for everyone.”

In December 2024, the CCPSA launched a six- month community engagement process focused on gathering feedback from residents about their experiences with traffic stops and how these interactions could be improved. The Commission held five listening sessions across the city, met with focus groups, and launched a bilingual feedback form to ensure that diverse experiences and perspectives were heard. More than 2,000 residents participated in this effort, providing insights into how traffic stops impact their daily lives.

“What we consistently heard from residents was clear and reasonable: they expect to be treated with dignity and respect,” said Vice-President Remel Terry. “They want transparent and effective communication that helps them understand the reason for a stop, improved access to data, and enhanced accountability in how traffic stops are conducted to ensure they are carried out fairly and without bias. “Residents shared personal accounts of feeling unfairly targeted and having their rights disregarded. These encounters, some described as traumatic, have strained trust between those residents and those sworn to protect them. At the same time, residents also expressed support for traffic stops as a legitimate public safety measure when applied impartially and with respect for all individuals.”

Chicago residents shared a wide range of perspectives on traffic stops. Several key themes emerged from the community feedback:

• Fairness: Residents voiced concerns about being unfairly targeted during traffic stops, particularly in high- crime neighborhoods or due to their race, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.
• Accountability: Residents emphasized the need for stronger mechanisms to hold officers accountable when they conduct traffic stops that violate residents’ rights.
• Transparency: There was a strong call for more transparency in the traffic stop process, especially regarding why a person was stopped and what the outcome of the stop was.
• Trust: Residents shared that when traffic stops are mishandled, it can erode trust between communities and the police, which ultimately undermines CPD’s efforts to achieve public safety.
• Public Safety: Residents expressed a desire to ensure police continue to have this public safety tool to keep Chicagoans safe, while ensuring these stops are fair and unbiased.

In response to community feedback, the Commission worked closely with CPD to revise the draft policy. While CPD’s version reflects much of the input received, a majority of Commissioners support making additional changes, particularly in two key areas:

• Limiting traffic stops for minor vehicle violations: A majority of Commissioners believe that traffic stops for certain equipment violations or license compliance violations should be prohibited, unless there is reasonable articulable suspicion or probable cause of criminal activity or an immediate public safety threat.
• Stronger standards for consent searches: A majority of Commissioners believe that consent searches should only be conducted when officers have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or an immediate safety threat.

“Through our community engagement efforts, we’ve learned that fairness and accountability are top priorities for residents when it comes to traffic stops,” said President Driver. We’ve worked closely with CPD to incorporate this feedback into the policy, and we’re committed to ensuring that the final policy reflects the needs and concerns of Chicagoans. While there is broad agreement between CPD and the Commission on many aspects, there are still key differences, and we will continue advocating for those changes.”

Going forward, the City of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General will try to come to agreement on whether traffic stops will be included in the Consent Decree. If traffic stops are included in the Consent Decree, the City of Chicago—including both CPD and the Commission—will work with the Illinois Attorney General and the Independent Monitor to try to come to an agreement on a traffic stops policy. If an agreement is reached, the final policy will be submitted to the federal judge overseeing the Consent Decree for approval. If an agreement cannot be reached by all parties, the final decision will be made by the Consent Decree judge. Throughout that process, there will be additional opportunities for residents to weigh in, including a citywide webinar and other community engagement efforts. The Commission encourages all Chicago residents to review the two versions of the draft policy and provide feedback.

Both CPD’s version of the draft traffic stops policy, and the Commission’s feedback, which includes a response memo and policy recommendations, are available for review on the CCPSA website at www.chicago.gov/chicagocommunitycommission. Residents can submit their feedback through the online form and are encouraged to attend the Commission’s monthly public meeting on April 24, 2025 at the Pui Tak Center (2216 S Wentworth Avenue Chicago, IL 60616) at 6:30pm.