Advisory Concerning the Civilian Office of Police Accountability’s Duty to Report

In the course of two separate disciplinary investigations, employees of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) reported to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) either uncertainty about whether they are obligated to report misconduct by members of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), or the belief that they are not obligated to do so. In light of the legal obligations of all City employees and COPA employees specifically, and given COPA’s critical role in Chicago’s police accountability system, OIG’s Public Safety section recommended that COPA provide refresher training to its employees on their duty to report misconduct by CPD members.