A NEW OFFICE ON THE BALLOT THIS ELECTION TITLE.

>> VOTERS HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID THE CRIME IS THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN IN TOMORROW'S ELECTION.

THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM IS ON THE VERGE OF CHANGING, TOMORROW FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER VOTERS WILL BE CHOOSING 66 CIVILIANS TO SERVE ON POLICE DISTRICT COUNSEL.

THIS IS PART OF A LONG-RUNNING EFFORT BY COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS TO ASSERT MORE INFLUENCE OVER THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

HERE WAS MORE ON HOW THE COUNCILS WILL WORK, THE PRESIDENT OF THE CITY'S COMMUNITY COMMISSION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, ANTHONY THANKS FOR JOINING US.

>> REMIND US OF THE BASICS, HOW WILL VOTERS CHOOSE COUNSEL REPRESENTATIVES?

>> FOR THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE A NEW HYPER LOCAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN PLACE FOR POLICING.

WE HAVE 22 POLICE DISTRICTS, EACH DISTRICT, WILL HAVE THREE PEOPLE SELECTED AS DISTRICT COUNSEL.

SOME COULD HAVE AS MANY AS 6-8 RUNNING BUT ONLY THE TOP THREE WILL BE SELECTED.

THE TOP THREE VOTE GETTERS WILL BE ELECTED AS THE DISTRICT COUNSEL.

SO AT THE END, ALL 22 DISTRICTS WILL HAVE THREE DISTRICT COUNCILS, AND THAT WILL BE, THAT WILL BE THE NEW BODY.

>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAIN DUTIES?

>> YEAH, SO THEY WORK JUST LIKE ANY OTHER FORM OF GOVERNMENT.

SO ANY DISTRICT COUNSEL, THEY HAVE TO MEET ONCE A MONTH, THEY ARE TASKED WITH TALKING TO THE COMMANDER AND TWO DIFFERENT POLICE DEPARTMENT ENTITIES, WORKING WITH CONSTITUENTS , TO BRING ISSUES TO THEM.

THEY ARE TASKED WITH BRINGING POLICY TO THE COMMISSION.

IT'S A HYPER LOCAL BODY VERY SIMILAR TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCILS.

BUT INSTEAD OF FOR EDUCATION IT'S SPECIFIC TO THE BIGGEST ISSUE IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO RIGHT NOW WHICH IS PUBLIC SAFETY.

>> FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR POLICE REFORM, HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THIS?

>> IT'S HUGE.

I WAS JUST LOOKING AT A NEWSPAPER FROM 1973, IT WAS ACTUALLY FROM A GUY BY THE NAME OF BOBBY RUSH BEFORE HE WAS AN ALDERMAN.

HE WAS FIGHTING FOR THIS VERY SAME THING BACK IN 9073, IT'S A DECADES LONG STRUGGLE.

>> WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE CANDIDATES WHO ARE RUNNING ACROSS THE CITY?

A GOOD MIX OF PEOPLE?

>> I BELIEVE SO.

THERE ARE INTEREST GROUPS AND THERE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE SUPPORTED BY THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE.

THERE ARE FOLKS SUPPORTED BY OTHER FACTIONS OF ORGANIZED LABOR.

I DO BELIEVE IT'S A GOOD MIX AND ITS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

>> DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS THAT THE POLICE DISTRICT COUNSEL WILL BECOME SIMILAR TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL WHICH SOMETIMES STRUGGLES TO HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE RUNNING TO FILL THE POSITIONS?

>> AS OF RIGHT NOW I DON'T HAVE THE CONCERN.

MANY PEOPLE SAID WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FILL A 66 PERSON BODY, 122 PEOPLE SACRIFICED THEIR TIME TO PUT PETITIONS ON THE BALLOT, WE HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT WAS NEEDED.

ALL OF THEM MADE THE BALLOT BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW THERE ARE ENOUGH PEOPLE.

AS A GOOD EXAMPLE, I GO TO ALMOST EVERY CITY COUNCIL MEETING.

THERE'S USUALLY A QUIET MEETING ABOUT 10 PEOPLE IN THE CROWDED MEETING ABOUT 50 PEOPLE.

ALMOST EVERY MEETING WE'VE HAD HAS HAD 100 PEOPLE.

SOME OF THEM WE HAVE ALMOST 300 PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP.

THE ENTHUSIASM AROUND THIS IS VERY HIGH RIGHT NOW.

>> SO THE COUNCIL IS CHARGED WITH NOMINATING POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE PERMANENT SEVEN PERSON COMMISSION TO WHICH YOU WERE TEMPORARILY APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR RIGHT NOW.

THE MAYOR WILL THEN SELECT FROM THE LEASE DISTRICT COUNSEL.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN NAMED TEMPORARILY AND HOW SOON CAN THE COUNCIL MAKE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS?

>> WE CAN WALK THROUGH THIS TIMELINE.

THEY WILL BE ELECTED FEBRUARY 28th, SWORN IN IN MAY ALONGSIDE THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL, THEY WILL BEGIN THE PROCESS FIRST, FIRST THEY WILL GO THROUGH TRAINING.

OUR STAFF HAS ALREADY WORKED ON HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE.

THEN THEY WILL GET TOGETHER TO FORM A COMMUNITY, THEN THEY WILL CREATE A PROCESS FOR NOMINATING 14 FOLKS, IT HAS TO BE AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM EACH SIDE OF THE CITY, AFTER THEY DO THAT THEY WILL THAT THE PEOPLE IN OUR STAFF WILL HELP THEM WITH VETTING, THEN THEY WILL SEND A NOMINATION TO THE BEAR.

I CAN'T SAY DEFINITIVELY BUT I WOULD GUESS I COULD SEE A NEW PERMANENT COMMUNITY COMMISSION SOMEWHERE AROUND SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR.

>> WHAT MIGHT THE IMPACT BE OF WHOEVER IS ELECTED MAYOR IN CITY HALL, IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO?

>> I'M NOT SURE ABOUT CONTINUING, I'M INTERESTING, BUT THAT'S A DECISION FOR THE COUNCIL TO MAKE.

I WILL BE SEEKING THEIR ADVICE ON THAT .

WHOEVER IS IN PLACE THEY WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION.

IT'S ALMOST A COEQUAL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY NOW.

ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE TO COME THROUGH THE COMMUNITY COMMISSION.

THE MAYOR OF COURSE HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN THAT.

SO WHOEVER THE MAYOR IS, THEY WILL HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE COMMISSION IN ORDER TO CREATE THE BEST SYSTEM POSSIBLE.

>> YOU BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A WHILE, WHY DO YOU THINK HIS LEVEL OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS NECESSARY?

>> BECAUSE WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING ELSE.

WE HAVE HAD COBRA AND DIFFERENT ITERATIONS OF INVESTIGATORY BODIES, WE'VE TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR GIVING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT THIS BORDEN COMMISSION DOES.

IT TAKES POWER AND DECENTRALIZES IT AWAY FROM THE MAYOR AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, AND GIVES IT TO EVERY DAY CHICAGO RESIDENTS.

FOLKS RUNNING OUR EVERYDAY REGULAR CHICAGO RESIDENTS.

THESE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF THEIR COMMUNITY SO WE TRIED ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE