After receiving two campaign contributions from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) totaling $15,000, Alderman Anthony Beale (9th) was among 17 aldermen who sided with the police union in seeking to have police misconduct cases settled behind closed doors, the Chicago Crusader has learned.
Less than a week before the vote, Beale and Alderman Derrick Curtis (18th) as members of the Chicago Workforce Committee, voted “no” to a proposal that would have allowed police officers facing suspension or termination to have their cases reviewed behind closed doors instead of in public through an arbitrator.
Ten months ago, Illinois campaign records show that Beale on February 15, received a $10,000 campaign donation from Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7. On June 28, the same police union gave Beale a $5,000 campaign contribution, campaign records show.
A Crusader review of Alderman Curtis’ campaign donations did not reveal that he received funds from the Chicago FOP.
Ald. Beale told WGN 9 why he wanted police misconduct cases handled behind closed doors. “Put yourself in the police’s shoes,” Beale said. “When they’re out there fighting to save lives to make our communities safe, sometimes they make split-second decisions that can cost them or other people their lives.”
Ald. Beale did not get his way as the controversial provision failed on Wednesday, December 13, when the City Council voted to reject it by a vote of 33-17. Aldermen Desmond Yancy (5th), William Hall (6th) Stephanie Coleman (16th) and Chris Taliaferro (29th) twice voted to reject the proposal as members of the Workforce Committee and the City Council.
In a statement, United Working Families Executive Director Kennedy Bartley praised the Council’s decision to keep serious police misconduct cases in public.
“We applaud the alders who voted today to reject the arbitration ruling that would have wiped out any small progress made by organizers in the last decade when it comes to police accountability and transparency.”
Though the decision was a victory, FOP can take the matter to court to have a judge decide whether police misconduct cases should be handled away from the public.
FOP President John Cantanzara told the Council last week, “If you reject this proposal, and the Council then rejects it on Wednesday, all you are doing is postponing the inevitable. This is protected in labor law. … It’s a fight you will not end up winning, and you are subjecting … our members to needless torment.”
The controversial proposal would change the way Chicago police officers accused of misconduct are disciplined.
For 60 years, the Chicago Police Board reviewed police conduct cases during meetings. But there are now concerns that an arbitrator reviewing cases during closed door meetings would hinder justice and favor rogue officers over alleged victims of police misconduct.
Alderman Carlos Ramirez Rosa (35th) at last week’s committee meeting, said, “We are a city with an ugly past and an ugly present of police misconduct. We will pay so much more if we gut our city’s efforts toward civilian oversight.”
The proposal drew concerns after Mayor Brandon Johnson in October announced a proposed contract agreement after he realized the FOP’s provision in the document.
It was one of several items left unaddressed when Mayor Lori Lightfoot reached an agreement with the union during her term. After the oversight, Johnson urged the aldermen on the committee and the City Council to reject the FOP’s request to review police misconduct cases away from the public.
The committee did approve a two-year contract extension to 2027 for Chicago’s 10,000 sworn officers. The extension would provide a nearly 20 percent raise for officers.
The deal would impose new rules on officers accused of misconduct.
Johnson said the extended deal, which would expire June 30, 2027, is “fair and in alignment with Chicago’s current policing needs, economic landscape and budgetary capabilities.”
