State, city reach pact on police use of guns

Chicago police officers will be required to report every time they point a gun at someone, according to an agreement reached between the city and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and made public Thursday.

As part of the new procedure, police officers must radio in the use of a gun to the Office of Emergency Management, according to Madigan's office. That will link the information electronically with the corresponding CPD reports and body-camera footage.

"We didn't want to create any kind of impediment for officers to do their jobs effectively," said Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern. "That was really what was being fought for. The language that was negotiated was successful in achieving that goal."

The new procedure, part of a court-ordered consent decree, is expected to go into effect in July 2019, Madigan's office said.

Under the agreement, an officer's immediate supervisor also must be notified every time the pointing of a firearm has been reported, according to a news release from Madigan's office. Supervisors must then review each incident to see if proper CPD procedures were followed and to deal with any misconduct.

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