>> 7 years of extensive oversight from a federal judge designed to reform the Chicago Police Department has come at a significant cost for Chicago Taxpayers W T Tw News.

Heather Reporter Heather joins us with a first of its kind analysis.

So have you examine the cost of the independent team of experts on policing and reform are charged with implementing the court order known as the consent decree.

What did you find?

Well, this 11 member team, which is charged with being U.S.

District Court, Judge Rebecca, Paul Myers, eyes and ears on the consent degree.

He's paid been paid.

26.8 million dollars between 2019 when the decree went into effect.

>> And 2025, that is a significant amount of money for a city that's facing a massive budget crisis.

Also in 2025, it reached a new height of nearly 4.8 million dollars for all of last year.

That is a significant bill indeed.

So break it down for us.

What exactly are taxpayers paying for?

Well, this team, which is led by attorney Maggie Hickey, is charged with figuring out if CPD and of course, the other city departments that are covered by the consent decree are doing what the finding court order says they have to do.

Now.

They assess compliance on 3 levels.

Preliminary secondary in full compliance.

CPD has only reached full compliance with 22% of the consent decree.

If the monitors next report is due out in early April.

So do we know how long the city will be on the hook to pay these bills?

Well, the consent decree was supposed to be done by the end of 2024, but it was extended for 3 years to at least the end of 2027.

It will be up to Judge Paul Meyer as to how long it continues for long as it does.

The city will be on the hook to pay this bills submitted by the monitors every month.

Yeah, certainly 22% compliance with less than 2 years to go quite a mountain to climb there.

They sure Alright, Heather,