IG FERGUSON LIKELY TO BE REAPPOINTED AFTER HIRING PUBLIC SAFETY DEPUTY
Another piece of Chicago’s multi- tiered system of police accountability fell into place Thursday in a way that is likely to result in the reappointment of Inspector General Joe Ferguson.
After a lengthy screening process, Ferguson nominated veteran police reformer and researcher Laura Kunard to be the city’s $ 137,052- a- year deputy inspector general for public safety. Ferguson could not be reached for comment.
Kunard, who has a doctorate in criminology, currently serves as a senior research scientist for CNA, a nonprofit research organization that works on policing initiatives for the U.S. Justice Department.
She also is a member of the court-appointed independent monitoring team overseeing a consent decree between the DOJ and the police department in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
That’s something that Attorney General Jeff Sessions signaled again this week is unlikely to happen in Chicago.
Without court oversight, the new deputy inspector general for public safety, who will preside over a 25- employee, $ 1.8 million unit, will likely play a more important oversight role.
In addition to her work at CNA, Kunard serves as the principle investigator on a DOJ National Institute of Justice- supported study of police technology.
“With Dr. Kunard at the helm and through accountability and transparency, our office will promote best practices in the Chicago Police Department to foster the professionalism and trust needed to create productive partnerships with the communities it serves,” Ferguson was quoted as saying in a press release. Sources said Kunard’s appointment is likely to result in the reappointment of Ferguson, whose four- year term expires later this year.
Candidates for the deputy IG’s job wanted and received assurances that the man who hired them would not be departing in a few months, sources said.
Ferguson spent two years in a cold war with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, which included a legal battle over access to documents that went all the way to the state Supreme Court.
Their relationship was so frosty it appeared that Emanuel was counting the days until Ferguson’s term expired. It was only after the Ohio bribery scandal that culminated in the conviction of former City Comptroller Amer Ahmad that Emanuel seemed to realize Ferguson was more helpful than threatening.