>> Chicago taxpayers have paid 2.7 million dollars for a system designed to alert officials about which police officers have been the subject of repeated misconduct allegations.

That's according to documents obtained by W T Tw News.

But it's not clear how or why the firm hired for the job was selected or Heather.

Sharon joins us now with more.

Heather, why doesn't the Chicago Police Department already have a system designed to flag officers with multiple misconduct allegations?

Hope that's a great question.

Given the decades of scandals, allegations of misconduct and brutality that the department has faced over the last decade, it's >> for Chicago.

Mayor is now have attempted to create the system, but now the city faces the oversight of the federal judge who says that they must implement the system as part of the consent decree, which, of course, requires the department to change the way it trains supervises and discipline stops So what do we know about Benchmark Analytics says the firm selected to create the system.

Well, they got a contract in November 2024.

To do a year's worth of work, creating the system for 1.2 million dollars.

Now that agreement allowed to 2 extensions of up to a year each and that next year the city said let's do it again and they agreed to pay the firm 1.5 million dollars for a total of 2.7 million dollars.

But what we don't know because we got no response to repeated Freedom of Information Act requests and inquiries is why benchmark analytics was selected.

We got no response to our inquiries to the Chicago Police Department or the mayor's office.

Now benchmark has created the systems for other cities, including Phoenix and Minneapolis.

It was founded by somebody who deep roots here in Chicago.

Grant you Berman, who was one of former Mayor Richard Daley's close the state's.

So how is the system's supposed work?

Well, it's designed send supervisors in the police department and alert a text message and email saying that some officer has sort of exceeded the required benchmarks for either misconduct.

Complaints, attendance levels or lawsuits know that is supposed to get that supervisor attempt to reach out to that officer and sort of figure out what's going on.

The system is not designed to be used to discipline officers or to promote them, but it is designed to give city officials a chance to head off massive misconduct issues before they result in millions of dollars in judgments against the city, And the city has paid out far more than 2.7 million dollars in those alone.

When is the system's supposed to be up and running?

Well, Alison Clarke Henson the head of the CPS Office of Constitutional Reform, promised all people that the system would be up and running this time next year.

So June 2027, but there are several hurdles that the city has to overcome before that system goes online.

It has to be approved by the federal judge overseeing the reform effort and the office of the Attorney General and the Coalition of police reform groups that sued the city to force the consent decree to take effect.

So it will be a long road and it has already been a long road to the system happens.

I'm sure the union might seen time comes as well.

Heather Sharon, thank you so much.

Thanks.

Brandis.

And you can read Heather's full story on our website.

It is all at W T Tw Dot com slash news.