The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department have announced plans to gather community input focused on policing efforts and the expansion of alternate response models aimed at strengthening safety citywide. This transparent engagement process was created to advance Mayor Brandon Johnson’s People’s Plan for Community Safety and the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) reform progress.
Over the past 9 months, CPD leadership has solicited feedback from CPD members, community members, and national subject matter experts that will inform the future of policing in the city, represented in four reports. We are now seeking additional community feedback to inform an action plan for how CPD will re-envision community-focused policing. Learn more and make your voice heard by:
- Reading the four reports.
- Watch a virtual briefing found below from Thursday, May 8, 2025.
- Sharing feedback via an online survey by June 27, 2025.
Webinar
On May 8th, 2025, the Chicago Police Department held a public webinar to provide updates on this project, highlights from the reports completed during the first phase, and share next steps.
Reports
- Community perspective: Advancing Community Engaged Policing and Alternate Response Strategies in Chicago
Eight community-based organizations (see details below) engaged over 700 residents in a series of listening and feedback sessions and synthesized their findings in collaboration with The Intersect. Their insights included a desire for proactive, visible engagement by law enforcement as well as a commitment to building trusting relationships with community members. This report will also inform the CPD workforce allocation study and efforts related to expanding alternative responses to 911 calls for service led by the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety.
- Community perspective: Community Advisory, Oversight and Advocacy Partner Synthesis
CPD sought input from established advisory, oversight, and advocacy partners (CPD District Advisory Council Chairs, Community Policing Advisory Panel Members, Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability Commissioners, District Councilors, and the Consent Decree Coalition Members). Civic Consulting Alliance engaged 30 partners through interviews and focus groups. Members’ feedback included evaluation of the current state of community policing at CPD, desired future state mindsets and skillsets of officers, and opportunities for improvement, such as timely and proportionate responses to calls for service, a focus on de-escalation as well as meaningful incident follow-up and community feedback processes.
- CPD member perspective: CPD Member Interview and Focus Group Synthesis
To gather perspectives from front-line Department members, Civic Consulting Alliance conducted interviews, surveys, and focus groups with nearly 150 CPD members across 15 districts to understand their current perceptions of community policing and perspectives on future implementation. CPD members at all levels shared their understanding of community policing, challenges that must be addressed to enable them to fully implement community policing practices, and suggestions to overcome these challenges. Many officers across the department appreciate the value of community policing as a department-wide way of work and describe it as demonstrating respect and professionalism, as well as engaging and developing solutions to problems facing residents.
- National perspective: Operationalizing Community Policing Within the Chicago Police Department: A Summary of Current and Promising National Practices
21CP Solutions examined community policing leading practices across 17 metro police departments through interviews with sworn senior command staff and community policing personnel. Members in peer cities like Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Philadelphia, and Seattle shared detailed feedback on effective public safety methods enabled by community policing as a foundational departmental philosophy. This includes dedicating personnel to defined geographic areas to invest in long-term community relationships, providing specific guidance for how officers should be visible in communities, structuring problem-solving as a data-driven practice, identifying a senior leader to lead across the Department, and measuring outcomes.
Informed by this feedback, the Department has articulated three elements of community-focused policing that it aspires to be at the core of every member’s service.
Opportunities for Community Engagement
CPD will now begin operational planning to realize the priorities set forth in the reports and move community-focused policing forward as a department-wide strategy. This planning will include a comprehensive review of current program offerings, roles and responsibilities, community partnerships, training, and performance metrics.
CPD will continue to ensure the voices of community members are represented as the Department develops this operational plan – to share your perspective:
Attend one of 16 sessions across Chicago communities hosted by eight community-based organizations. Sessions will be focused on sharing these reports with the public and gathering additional input to inform the operational plans for community-focused policing and the workforce allocation study. Information on these sessions can be found below:
| Date | Time | Location | Address | RSVP Link |
| 5/10/25 | 10am – 1pm | El Valor (Pilsen) | 1850 W. 21st Street | CLOSED |
| 5/14/25 | 9am-12pm | El Valor (Little Village) | 2434 S. Kildare Ave | CLOSED |
| 5/14/25 | 6pm – 8pm | Pui Tak Center, 3rd Floor | 2216 S. Wentworth Ave | CLOSED |
| 5/20/25 | 5pm – 7pm | Target Area Development Corp. | 1542 W 79th Street | CLOSED |
| 5/23/25 | 3pm – 5pm | UCAN | 3605 W. Filmore | CLOSED |
| 5/24/25 | 2pm – 4pm | Humboldt Park | 1440 N Humboldt | CLOSED |
| 5/27/25 | 5pm – 7pm | Citywide | Virtual | CLOSED |
| 5/28/25 | 1pm – 3pm | Brave Space Alliance | 1515 E. 52nd Place | CLOSED |
| 5/29/25 | 6pm – 8pm | Casa Hidalgo | 4600 S Wood | CLOSED |
| 6/2/25 | 6pm – 7:30pm | Citywide | Virtual | CLOSED |
| 6/2/25 6/5/25 | 4pm – 6pm 6pm – 8pm | HAIBAYO BUILD, Inc. (Austin) | 1132 W. Argyle Street 5100 W. Harrison | CLOSED CLOSED |
| 6/5/25 | 6pm – 8pm | Instituto del Progreso Latino | 2520 S Western Ave | CLOSED |
| 6/10/25 6/10/25 | 10am – 12pm 5:30pm – 7:30pm | TURN Center Albany Park Library | 4444 S Evans Ave 3401 W Foster | CLOSED CLOSED |
| 6/17/25 6/25/25 | 1pm – 3pm 6pm – 8pm | Broadway Youth Center BUILD, Inc. (Austin) | 1023 W. Irving Park 5100 W. Harrison | CLOSED RSVP Here |
Share your thoughts via this online survey by June 27, 2025.
The community-based organizations chosen to lead the community engagement were selected based on an open, competitive process. These organizations represent different demographic areas that contribute to the diversity of Chicago:
- YWCA Metro Chicago
- Brave Space Alliance
- Bright Star Community Outreach
- BUILD Incorporated
- Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community
- El Valor
- Target Area Development Corp
- The Resurrection Project
How to get involved in your community
How to report a concern
- Enter your address here to find your district
- Scroll down and click on each District for contact information, beat map, news and District-specific engagement calendar
- Criminal activity (gangs, narcotics, prostitution), disorder, and/or quality of life concerns including troubled building (abandoned, dilapidated) via CPD’s Community Concern Reporting Portal
- City services (street lights, garbage pickup, graffiti) or non-emergency police services, including such as senior well-being checks via Chicago 311 portal
- Police performance (complaints or compliments): COPA website
Learn more about
- CPD Data, statistics and reports: includes weekly crime statistics by District, annual reports as well as dashboards of complaints filed, consent decree progress and use of force
- CPD Draft Annual Training Plan for 2025: CPD’s Training and Support Group conducts an annual training needs assessment to collect input from stakeholders regarding CPD training priorities. This needs assessment process informs the development of CPD’s annual training plan. Additionally, see here for CPD’s training policy.
- The Consent Decree requires CPD and the City of Chicago to reform training, policies, and practices in a number of important areas, such as use of force, community policing, impartial policing, training, accountability, officer wellness, data and information systems, and more. The goal is to ensure that the CPD performs constitutional and effective policing that keeps both community members and officers safe and restores the community’s trust in the Department.
- The Independent Monitoring Team evaluates the progress and issues public reports on whether the City and CPD are meeting the requirements of the consent decree.