Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has reiterated his disagreement with an independent arbitrator's conclusion that state law permits police officers facing dismissal or suspensions exceeding a year to have misconduct cases adjudicated by an arbitrator, rather than the Chicago Police Board. Johnson emphasized that a lack of transparency in the arbitration process fails to benefit the public's welfare.

"Again, we disagree with the arbitrator’s ruling against public accountability and transparency in the most severe cases of police misconduct," Johnson stated on X. "We remain firm in our commitment to improving community safety for both the people of Chicago and law enforcement. Policing is a unique profession, as officers have unparalleled responsibility for Chicagoans, their safety, and their lives. As such, it is crucial that law enforcement continue to be held to the highest standards of accountability and transparency."

Johnson's statement on social media was a response to independent arbitrator Edwin Benn's reaffirmation that state law concerning arbitration applies to police officers. This affirmation was rejected by the City Council at Johnson's behest. Benn compared City Hall's tactics, including a "strategy of repeated," used to sway the City Council's rejection of his ruling to the "Big Lie," a term referring to former President Trump's assertion that he won in the "rigged" 2020 election leading up to President Biden's inauguration. In his report, Benn urged Johnson to withdraw his opposition to his ruling.

"Please, don’t do this and continue with the rejection and go down a path of years of fruitless, expensive and wasteful litigation and resulting discord — only to lose that litigation and then have to pay make-whole relief for those officers who were affected by the delay — whether those officers ultimately prevail in arbitration or not," Benn wrote.

John Catenzara, Fraternal Order of Police President, informed Sun-Times about his plans to file a lawsuit requesting a Cook County judge suspend all pending police misconduct cases before the Chicago Police Board that might be eligible for arbitration.

"I’m not gonna wait for a very simple reason: I don’t trust the City Council and the mayor. ... They think political cover is more important," Catenzara told Sun-Times. "They want to do the easy thing instead of the right thing."