Changes due for Chicago police; mayor keeps review authority

A new position of Public Safety Auditor will be created, the mayor's office said in a news release, and there would be a role for citizen oversight in police misconduct cases.

"Real leadership and courage means doing what needs to be done right now to earn the trust of the community... to save the reputation and future effectiveness of this police force," said Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law school professor who played a key role in forcing the city to release the McDonald video.

Speeding up the process of investigating police misconduct is among some of the immediate changes coming for the department, addressing concerns expressed by the public as well as members of the City Council that investigations can take several months — leaving officers who are accused of the most serious types of misconduct on the payroll.