Updated: 5:24 p.m., Tuesday, January 17, 2017

As Chicago grapples with an ongoing crisis in the police department and attempts to negotiate a consent decree with the Department of Justice, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s senior staff for public safety is undergoing upheaval, creating confusion in and out of City Hall.

On the same day as the Department of Justice unveiled its findings of unconstitutional conduct at the Chicago Police Department, Mayor Emanuel’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety, Janey Rountree, served her last day at City Hall, according to multiple sources. Already, Mayor Emanuel’s other senior policy advisor on public safety, Katie Hill, left City Hall in December to work a similar position for newly elected Cook County State’s Attorney Kimm Foxx. Earlier this month, Anne Kirkpatrick, hired in June to lead CPD’s reform efforts as part of the new Bureau of Organizational Development, decamped for Oakland, California to head up its police department.

As of Monday evening, non-government legal experts who worked with City Hall on public safety issues were unaware of new public safety leadership in the Mayor’s office. That changed after The Daily Line called the mayor’s office for comment Tuesday morning.

“Right now [as of Tuesday morning], in respect to police policy stuff, there’s nobody in place. Janey Rountree and Katie Hill, who is with the State’s Attorney [Kim Foxx] now, they have yet to replace those people,” said Craig Futterman, who leads the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project at the University of Chicago. Futterman has been a legal advisor to many groups seeking police reform. “The people ostensibly in charge of police reform, Anne Kirkpatrick, there’s nobody in place for that either. Short answer is, I don’t see the folks at City Hall level. The person put in charge of overseeing police reform is gone and isn’t being replaced.”

Appearing on Chicago Tonight Monday evening, Lori Lightfoot, President of the Police Board said, “That team needs to be augmented. The person who is primarily in charge of public safety in the mayor’s staff, their last day was Friday,” referring to Rountree’s departure. “I want to know who that new team is, not one person. I want to know what the strategic vision is, and the time frame is, and what the resources are to be brought to bear to change this problem.”

“It's been public that Janey was planning to leave for several weeks,” said Emanuel spokesperson Julienn Kaviar. “Janey has been an incredible asset to the administration and the city for four years, and while she moved on to pursue another opportunity in life the Mayor is grateful that she agreed to stay on board until the DOJ report was released.”

Kaviar then explained that Jadine Chou, Chief Safety and Security Officer at Chicago Public Schools, would fill Rountree’s role in the short term while the mayor sought a permanent replacement.

Later, after publication of The Daily Line’s original story, about an hour later, Kaviar backtracked, to say Chou was never, nor will she ever be an interim senior policy advisor. In fact, there are already two senior public safety advisors in place, "We are fortunate to have a strong team in place, that includes Brandon Nemec and Deanne Millison, to advise on public safety policy until her replacement is named. Additionally, Deputy Mayor Andrea Zopp has considerable experience in this area and will also assist."

Nemec has been on staff since November 2016 and Millison since December 2016. They will both hold the title of Senior Advisor and Counsel.

A quick round of calls to legal advocates who work with the city regularly on public safety issues found that Nemic and Millison have not been taking a lead role yet. Most advocates have yet to meet either Nemec or Millison.

Ed Note: The original version of this story, published at 1:52 p.m., reported that Jadine Chou would be the interim policy advisor while the mayor’s office sought a permanent replacement.

Cook County’s consent calendar changes kick in today. Instead of considering honorary resolutions marking deaths, anniversaries, or congratulations before the regular Wednesday board meetings, they will be the first order of business on Forest Preserve Board meeting days–normally the Tuesday before full Board meetings. Commissioners will also consider 2017 audits of county departments and a “Cook County Unity” resolution that appears aimed at incoming president Donald Trump. 

A $1 million dollar North Lawndale land sale to Clarius Partners, a development firm known for its large-scale suburban office complexes, is the largest item on the Council’s Housing agenda today.

Anna Valencia, Mayor Emanuel’s former Director of Legislative Affairs, will go before the Council’s Rules Committee this morning so aldermen can officially appoint her as City Clerk.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at the release of the U.S. Department of Justice's release of an investigation into the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department. Also pictured to left, CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson and Civilian Office of Police Accountability Director Sharon Fairley. (Credit: Aaron Cynic)

The Department of Justice’s report on the patterns and practices of the Chicago Police Department issued last Friday is an enormous beast. Not just because of its 161-page heft, but also because the problems detailed within are likely to consume Chicago’s politics and budget for years to come.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch listens to a reporter's question at the press conference releasing DOJ findings on an investigation into Chicago Police Department practices on Friday, January 13, 2017. Pictured at right, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and at left, Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (Photo: Aaron Cynic)

The Department of Justice’s 161-page Findings Report of its 13-month investigation into the Chicago Police Department reveals disturbing cases of excessive force; outdated and poorly-managed training; and a bureaucratic quagmire in the city, the Chicago Police Department, and the agencies charged with police oversight. The most egregious findings of the report dealt more with the institutions themselves than the actions of the individual officers. In fact, DOJ noted that systemic problems in outdated training; poorly-articulated policies; and rushed, “ad-hoc” policy changes like the recent Taser rollout have led to disastrous results.

Black Lives Matter organizer Kofi Ademola speaks at a press conference calling for immediate police reforms following the release of the DOJ investigation report on the Chicago Police Department on Friday, January 13, 2017. (Credit: Mike Fourcher)

African-American community activists presented a collective yawn Friday to the results of the Department of Justice’s report on patterns and practices of constitutional violations in the Chicago Police Department. The report, in their eyes, was only a repeat of many of the findings presented last spring by the Police Accountability Task Force (PATF), and lacked force of action.

City and federal officials stood before a packed room of press Friday morning to present the explosive findings of a 13-month Department of Justice investigation into the Chicago Police Department and its accountability structures. Rather than focusing on some of the more damning findings, the assembled officials called for increased police support and assured reporters that despite the new Trump administration’s leanings, the DOJ’s recommendations would stick.

Legal advocates for police reform uniformly applauded the Department of Justice’s report on Chicago policing, but generally expressed concern that without the force of a federal consent decree, the DOJ’s calls for change would be significantly weakened.

Only a few hours after the release of the Department of Justice’s investigation on Chicago policing, aldermen began to receive briefings on the content of the report from the mayor’s office. Of those willing to speak on the record about the report so soon after it’s release, there was broad acceptance that the report’s conclusions were true, but officials hedged on expectations that reform would be coming quickly to the Chicago Police Department.

In another installment of our hour-long podcast series, publisher Mike Fourcher sits down with Jesse Ruiz, attorney, President of the Chicago Park District Board, and advisor to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Ruiz, the child of immigrants, talks about diversity and segregation in Chicago, his vote on school closings in 2013, the future of Jackson Park, and his hopes for Illinois’ new governor. 

Got suggestions for other political or policy experts we should interview? Send us your suggestions at [email protected] or on Twitter @thedailylinechi.

The city of Chicago is more than doubling a borrowing plan to cover the cost of legal settlements and judgments. The borrowing is part of a $1.2 billion general obligation (G.O.) bond offering expected to hit the market next week. According to a December summary from S&P and first reported by Bond Buyer, $225 million from the bond proceeds will be used to fund settlements and judgments–$125 million more than budget officials initially planned. Investors are also wrestling with whether or not Chicago’s debt should be priced at junk interest rates, as at least one rating agency contends.

As City Council prepares for the new year, and with it new legislative priorities, a lot of legislative loose ends remain. There are hundreds of ordinances and resolutions that have been languishing away in committee. Some, like plans to strengthen oversight of the Chicago Housing Authority, to create a public matching financing system for city elections, and to legalize video gambling in Chicago, have been stalled for more than a year.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has named Deputy City Clerk Carina Sanchez as the Public Building Commission’s new Executive Director, replacing Felicia Davis, who was appointed to the role in 2015.

Marilyn Katz

Marilyn Katz, founder of PR firm MK Communications, sat down with Daily Line publisher Mike Fourcher. Katz has a long history in Chicago starting with leading media efforts for Harold Washington's 1983 mayoral campaign to serving as an advisor to both Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. She talks with Mike about her relationship with Mayor Emanuel, President Barack Obama, rumors around a possible Valerie Jarrett run for mayor or governor, what it will take to defeat Gov. Bruce Rauner in 2018 and much more.

Got suggestions for other political or policy experts we should interview? Send us your suggestions at [email protected] or on Twitter @thedailylinechi.