AG Raoul filed an amicus brief calling for the continuation of a 60-year tradition of offering public access to hearings in serious disciplinary matters involving Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers. Raoul’s brief, filed in the Illinois Supreme Court, argues that moving these hearings behind closed doors would undermine both the state’s consent decree with the city of Chicago – a court order mandating broad police reform that his office helps to oversee – and public confidence in CPD. 

“Increasing transparency is a cornerstone goal of the state’s consent decree with the city to reform policing practices. Eliminating this longstanding transparency measure would be a step in the opposite direction and would ultimately result in a loss of public trust.” -AG Raoul