>>> THE CIVILIAN OFFICE OF THE POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY INVESTIGATES ALL ALLEGATIONS OF POLICE MISCONDUCT FROM POLICE INVOLVED SHOOTINGS TO HARASSMENT.

HUNDREDS OF THESE PROBES HAVE BEEN ON THE BACK BURNER FOR A LONG TIME, BUT COPA SAYS IT IS HIGH TIME TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS.

IT IS PREPARING TO CLEAR ABOUT 800 CASES THAT HAVE BEEN CLOGGING UP THE SYSTEM.

COPA SAYS IS HIS EFFORT TO TACKLE THE MASSIVE BACKLOG AND REFOCUS ON CONCLUDING THE MOST SERIOUS CASES OF ALLEGED MISCONDUCT.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE IS CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR OF COPA.

WELCOME BACK TO CHICAGO TONIGHT.

YOU SAID YOU WILL REVIEW AROUND 800 COMPLAINTS HERE , AND YOU'RE GOING TO, PERHAPS, CONSIDER CLOSING THEM AS AN EFFORT TO SPEED THE PROCESS UP.

HOW COME?

>> A COUPLE OF THINGS.

FIRST OF ALL, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

TO FOCUS REALLY ON THE EVOLUTION OF OUR AGENCY.

WILL BE LAUNCHED BACK IN 2017, THERE WERE SEVERAL LAGGING CRITICISMS OF THE PRIOR ITERATION , LACK OF INTEGRITY, LACK OF INDEPENDENCE, LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND TIMELINESS.

WE HAVE DONE TREMENDOUS WORK AS AN AGENCY TO ADDRESS THE MAJORITY OF THOSE CRITICISMS.

WHAT REMAINS, REALLY, IS THE ABILITY TO DELIVER TIMELY INVESTIGATIONS.

SO WE SPENT THE LAST PART OF THIS YEAR, BASICALLY SIX MONTHS OR SO, REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT HAPPENED SPECIFICALLY IN THE ARBITRATION PROCESS AFTER WE CONCLUDED INVESTIGATION AND THE DISCIPLINARY RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE LESSONS THAT WE LEARNED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF LAW AND CPD, AS WELL AS OUR OWN INTERNAL LEGAL DEPARTMENT, ARE INFORMING THIS DRIVE TO EVALUATE THE POSTURE OF SOMEBODY'S OLDER CASES.

>> YOU MENTIONED ARBITRATION.

YOU COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION, SAY, THIS POLICE OFFICER SHOULD BE FIRED, AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY ARBITRATE, AND THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

I TAKE IT THAT SOME OF THESE 800 CASES YOU'RE LOOKING AT, YOU'RE SAYING, IN THE ARBITRATION PROCESS, THEY WILL SURVIVE EITHER WAY.

>> EXACTLY.

WE ARE LOOKING AT THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LACK OF SUCCESS IN ARBITRATION, AND TIMELINESS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES.

WHEN TRYING TO EVALUATE WHAT IS TIMELY IN THE MINDS OF THE ARBITRATOR, ARE WE REALLY HAVING TO CONCLUDE INVESTIGATIONS AT TWO YEARS OR LESS TO HAVE A HIGHER SUCCESS RATE?

THAT IS WHY WE ARE TAKING WHAT IS APPROXIMATELY 800 CASES THAT ARE OVER TWO YEARS OLD AND THE AGENCY, AND KEEP IN MIND, WE HAVE AROUND 1400 OPEN CASES RIGHT NOW TOTAL, WHICH IS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHERE IT WAS WHEN I TOOK OVER AS CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR IS UP AND WE ARE PROUD OF.

PROGRESS IS BEING MADE, BUT WE HAVE TO EVALUATE THE USE OF RESOURCES NOW TO COURSE CORRECT GOING FORWARD.

>> ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE 800 CASES, PERHAPS, BEING CASES YOU MIGHT FIND SOME KIND OF CULPABILITY AND THAT THAT WOULD SEND A MESSAGE TO POLICE OFFICERS THAT THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH ALLEGED MISCONDUCT?

>> SURE, AND LIKEWISE, TELLING A MESSAGE TO IMPACTED COMPLAINANTS.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, PERHAPS MORE THAN ANYTHING, IS WHAT KIND OF CASES WON'T BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS KIND OF CLOSURE BUT IT WOULD NOT LOOK AT ANY OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING, EXCESSIVE FORCE IN GOD THINK IT'S SIGNIFICANT INJURY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VIOLATIONS, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, THIS IS REALLY LOOKING AT MORE OF THE LOW LEVEL OPERATIONAL VIOLATIONS .

TYPICALLY, THOSE LOOK LIKE FAILURE TO ACTIVATE BODY CAMERAS IN A TIMELY MANNER, SOMETIMES FAILURE TO PROPERLY DOCUMENT A POLICE ENCOUNTER.

AGAIN, LOOKING CASE IS NOT WHERE THAT WAS DONE INTENTIONALLY BY AN OFFICER OR DONE REPEATEDLY BY AN OFFICER, BUT WHAT IS TRULY, PERHAPS, A MISTAKE, WHERE A NON-DISCIPLINARY ACTION MAY BE APPROPRIATE.

>> TO GIVE A SENSE OF THE SCOPE OF YOUR OFFICE, YOU LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE BIG CASES LIKE ANTHONY ALVAREZ, THE ADAM TOLEDO SHOOTING, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT MAKE A LOT OF NEWS.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE, TYPICALLY, TO ADJUDICATE ONE OF THOSE BIG CASES LIKE AN OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING?

>> A NUMBER OF FACTORS CONTROL THAT.

THE PART WE HAVE CONTROL OVER IS HOW LONG IT TAKES OUR INVESTIGATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE ISSUED.

RIGHT NOW, ON AVERAGE, OUR INVESTIGATIONS ARE CONCLUDING IN JUST UNDER TWO YEARS.

WE NEED THAT AVERAGE TO BE ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL THESE CASES.

WERE ABLE TO DELIVER TIMELY FOR HIGH-PROFILE CASES AND CLOSE THINGS AND UNDER HERE, BUT THAT HAS TO BE THE NORM FOR ALL THE COMPLAINTS WE RECEIVE.

>> AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU DO YOUR REVIEWING, WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND A LOT OF TIMES, WITH HELP FROM THE POLICE UNIT, THAT OFFICER MIGHT ARBITRATE AND THEN KEEP THEIR JOB, OR THE SUPERINTENDENT MIGHT SAY, WE DISAGREE WITH THE FINDINGS AND WON'T GO FORWARD WITH THE RECOMMENDATION.

THE SECOND FRUSTRATING?

>> ULTIMATELY, THIS IS A SYSTEM OF DUE PROCESS.

IT IS IT JUST ONE RECOMMENDATION OR VOICE THAT CONTROL THE OUTCOME.

THESE ARE SYSTEMS OF JUDICIAL DUE PROCESS THAT, ESSENTIALLY, GOVERN THE WAY WE HOLD OFFICERS AND ANY OTHER KIND OF EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBLE FOR MISCONDUCT ON THE JOB.

SO WHILE IT CAN BE FRUSTRATING TO SEE YOUR WORK NOT BE SUCCESSFUL, ULTIMATELY, THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN.

>> GOING BACK MANY YEARS, COPA REPLACED IN THE WAKE OF THE LAQUAN McDONALD SHOOTING.

YOU FEEL LIKE THE RESOURCES ARE THERE TO DO IT?

ALL THE RESOURCES AND RESEARCHERS AND EVERYBODY?

>> EPIC WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES AND HAVE CONTINUED TO BUILD THEM OVERTIME TO RIGHTSIZING THE CASELOAD THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE, I THINK, WE WILL BE ABLE TO EVALUATE MEANINGFULLY GOING FORWARD WHETHER WE HAVE SUSTAINABLE AMOUNT OF STAFFING TO DELIVER ON A TIMELINE LIKE WE HOPE TO AND ANTICIPATE.

>> WE ARE OUT OF TIME.

WE SHOULD MENTION THAT A LOT OF CHANGE WITH THIS NEW COMMUNITY COMMISSION A POLICE OVER SO OVERSIGHT.

THEY WILL.

THE PERSON IN YOUR POSITION GOING