CHICAGO (AP) – The Trump administration on Tuesday sharply criticized a draft plan hammered out between the nation’s third-largest city and the state of Illinois that envisions far-reaching reforms of Chicago’s 12,000-officer force under close federal court supervision.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Department of Justice will file “a statement of interest” opposing the plan, which was drawn up after the city broke off talks with Sessions’ department on reforms for the beleaguered Chicago Police Department.
“It is imperative that the city not repeat the mistakes of the past – the safety of Chicago depends on it,” Sessions said in a statement he issued Tuesday.
The police reform plan, which is more than 200 pages and still subject to approval by a federal judge in Chicago, foresees far stricter rules on the use of force by officers. One provision requires officers to file paperwork each time they point their weapons, even if they don’t fire.
In a joint statement later Tuesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson responded to Sessions, saying: “The Trump Administration never ceases to amaze, and this is just further proof that they are out of step with the people of Chicago and out of touch with reality.”