Chicago COPA police oversight classes open to public

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Six weeks of classes about police oversight conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) start next week on the West Side and are open to the public.

"We need people that live in these neighborhoods in our city to know who we are before we knock on the door and understand the role that we play so they might trust us with their experience or their information," said Andrea Kersten, chief administrator of COPA.

COPA investigates police-involved shootings and allegations of police misconduct. Some of the evidence, including videos, is released to the public, as are, eventually, its findings and a recommendation for discipline if warranted. But some of their work is not public.

"We have to approach that evidence consistently and with the same lens every time my hope is this opportunity with be a demonstration of how we bring our objectivity," Kersten said.

Kersten is creating a People's Academy to share COPA's work toward transparency and ultimately police reform.

"This is an opportunity to highlight why this work this work being done, independent of the police department, independent of City Hall, becomes a really important voice in this conversation," she said.

Michelle Phillips is among those participating in this inaugural People's Academy. She is the first independent inspector general for the city of Oakland, Calif.

"I think it's a huge, huge step in the appropriate direction for civilian oversight in trying to rebuild trust in communities," she said.

Phillips hopes to replicate some of the academy for the citizens of Oakland. While there are some registered for the academy who are in police oversight, we are told most are interested civilians.

Registration is open for the free academy, which begins March 21.