Today we feature a discussion with newly appointed Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg. Witzburg previously held a variety of positions within the office including most recently being the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety. It is in this role she was able to drive the activities of the office and have the office start actually making an impact on the administration of justice within the Chicago Police Department and the polcie accountability system in Chicago.

In our discussion with her we take a closer look at a recent report issued by the DPSIG on the lack of policies and procedures within the police accountability system in Chicago to administer accountability in a fair and consistent matter across all the cases they investigate. We then turn with Witzburg to a wish list of research the office published late last year and highlight several possible research topics and get her to comment on why each of these topics is leading the agenda for the DPSIG. There is no doubt that policing in Chicago and well as the system that tries to hold officers accountable provides a target rich environment for Witzburg’s office. The research topics we highlight would make a significant positive impact on how our communities are policed and how Chicago’s incredibly complicated police accountability system does their work.

We then end the interview getting Witzburg to respond to Mayor Lightfoot’s comments about how she/the office need to stay in their lane. An obvious comment meant to intimidate Witzburg and the office to not interfere with decisions that the Mayor has made. So typical Chicago.

Here are links to our previous interview with Witzburg on various topics while she was the DPSIG:

Deborah Witzburg Extended Interview

Deborah Witzburg Interview on ShotSpotter

Exploring CPD’s Response to George Floyd Protests

COPA Compliance with Video Release Policy