The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability was created by the July 2021 Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance. As of the 2022 budget, the commission was still in its interim form. This is the first budget cycle for which the commission is operating under its newly elected leadership.
CCPSA recommends candidates for Chicago Police Department and Police Board leadership, drafts and has power to approve CPD policies, and reviews the departmental budget and goals for CPD.
Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2023 Budget
| 2023 Budgeted | 2024 Proposed | Net Change | Percent Change | |
| Appropriations | $3,184,119 | $4,003,410 | $819,291 | 25.7% |
| Positions & FTEs | 24 | 29 | 5 | 20.8% |
Departmental Highlights
- CCPSA’s budget and headcount are growing rapidly as the body takes shape.
- Headcount is up a total of five positions in the proposed 2024 budget, adding three project managers, a community outreach coordinator, and a new public relations position to the budgeted 2023 staff.
- CCPSA is a relatively small department. Its top 10 appropriations in the proposed 2024 budget total less than $4 million.
- Salaries and wages make up most of the departmental budget, at $2.7 million, followed by $483,000 in stipends for the commission’s various elected positions.
Historical Context
The largest change in CCPSA’s first two years of budgeted appropriations was a reduction in outside contracting appropriations and an increase in budgeted positions.
Historical comparisons to overall budget trends are of limited use until the department has been fully operational under its elected leadership for at least a year. During its first two budget cycles, however, the CCPSA budget declined at an average rate of -3.6% per year. Departmental budgets overall decreased an average of -4.8% per year over the same time period, while the total city budget including Finance General appropriations shrank at an average rate of -0.4% annually.
The department’s budgeted workforce grew at a rate of roughly 35.7% annually due to the increase in the 2023 budget, while overall budgeted positions for the city grew at an average rate of 1.6% annually.
Staffing
Headcount is up a total of five positions in the proposed 2024 budget, adding three project managers, a community outreach coordinator, and a new public relations position to the budgeted 2023 staff.
Appropriations
Largest Appropriations
CCPSA is a relatively small department. Its top 10 appropriations in the proposed 2024 budget total less than $4 million.
Salaries and wages make up most of the departmental budget, at $2.7 million, followed by $483,000 in stipends for the commission’s various elected positions.
Change from Previous Year
CCPSA’s proposed 2024 budget adds several new appropriations categories, and eliminates court reporting.
Salaries and wages saw the largest appropriation increase, up roughly $800,000 from the previous year, followed by a $44,500 increase in professional and technical services.
