Ordinance aims to kick cops with extremist ties out of Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO — Aldermen advanced an ordinance Monday aimed at forcing officers with ties to extremist groups out of the Chicago Police Department.

The ordinance would prohibit police from participating in radical extremist and hate groups like the Three Percenters or Proud Boys and create new investigative powers to vet alleged ties.

It drew sharp pushback from some aldermen, who argued it was unfair to only target police, but won majority support in the City Council’s Workforce Development Committee as backers labeled it a necessary step to ensure Chicagoans trust officers.

“An officer who affiliates with groups that champion hate, bias and fascism cannot be trusted to perform the most critical element of this job,” Loren Jones, criminal legal system director at Impact for Equity, a nonprofit law and policy center, told aldermen ahead of the 6-to-3 vote.

The ordinance prohibits police from participating in extremist activities, authorizes the Civilian Office of Police Accountability to investigate sworn officers with alleged ties and directs the Office of Public Safety Administration to check for extremism during hiring.

Chief sponsor Ald. Matt Martin of the Northwest Side 47th Ward called the measure a response to both the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and a 2024 report by Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg that determined the city’s handling of extremism in its police ranks “has fallen short” of city and CPD commitments.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who backs the ordinance, assembled a task force last year focused on digging into extremism after Witzburg’s report.

The ordinance targets “active participation” in radical groups, such as fundraising, recruiting, getting tattoos and wearing clothing with extremist symbols, Martin said. The language used to define the banned ties was inspired by policies from former President Joe Biden’s administration that have since been rescinded by President Donald Trump, he added.

“I believe this has a high bar in place and is content neutral,” Martin said.

But the promise of fairness did not win over Northwest Side Ald. Nick Sposato, 38th. He charged that the committee was not hearing “two sides,” which drew audible chuckles from John Catanzara, the firebrand president of the city’s rank-and-file police union who was on hand for the committee meeting.

“My problem is you’re singling somebody out. It’s a very accusatory type ordinance,” Sposato said. “We are singling out police, and once again, we can’t stop with the Jan. 6 thing, we don’t mention a damn thing about the Black Lives Matter riot.”

After Sposato spoke, Ald. Desmon Yancy argued police should be held to a high standard because they “have the ability to kill on duty.” He recalled two times since 2011 where Chicago police called him racial slurs.

“I don’t want those officers carrying guns patrolling our neighborhoods. There should be some sort of recourse to prevent that,” he said before voting for the measure.

Police Department spokesperson Don Terry said the department supports the measure, but added in a statement that CPD “believes every City employee should be held to the same standards outlined in this proposed ordinance.”

City attorney Justin Edge said the ordinance was narrowed to focus on police instead of all city employees because of constitutional concerns and the possibility of employment lawsuits. Focusing only on police “does lower the risk drastically,” he said.

“There’s an incredibly high bar in First Amendment matters of government doing preemptive, before-it-happens blocking of different types of speech,” he said. “The case law supports having higher standards on individuals whose actions are reflective of the values of the institution which they are a part of.”

After the split vote, Catanzara rose and hustled out the room, calling aldermen “(expletive) deadbeats” as he left.

The idea that there is extremism is “a farce” and the legislation is an unnecessary bout of “selective outrage,” he told the Tribune. The language should apply to everyone, not just police, he added.

“Who can poison more minds than a teacher who can have anti-government views and literally subjected to sitting in front of classrooms, poisoning hundreds of kids’ minds with those disgusting views,” he said.

For his part, Martin argued the policy is rooted in pre-existing police policy. When Chicagoans interact with police, they are often in “some of the most sensitive situations that they are going to find themselves in,” he said.

They need “complete trust that the men and women of law enforcement who they interact with are going to provide the top notch services that they need and that are going to keep our community safe,” he said.

Aldermen are slated to take a final vote on the measure when the full City Council meets Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the council Finance Committee advanced a $9.5 million settlement for Carl Reed, who served nearly 19 years in prison for the 2001 fatal stabbing of his neighbor. Reed alleged Chicago police framed him with a fabricated confession and prosecutors withheld evidence to wrongfully convict him.

Aldermen also advanced a $470,000 settlement for a couple who suffered head injuries after crashing their motorcycle at a DuSable Lake Shore Drive pavement buckle that over two dozen motorists had previously complained about.

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