By Stephen Anderson

The arm of Chicago city government that deals with complaints of excessive force by police officers has a new name and a new image, but many of the same problems that plagued the process.

The Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) was established by city ordinance last year to restore public confidence by replacing the Office of Professional Standards (OPS). Los Angeles attorney Ilana B. R. Rosenzweig was hired as chief administrator.

It was "a moment of truth," civil rights attorney Locke Bowman told a gathering on Jan. 15 at the Union League Club of Chicago. He emphasized the "symbolic importance" of the words Independent and Authority.

Legal director of the MacArthur Justice Center and clinical law professor at Northwestern University, Bowman was guest speaker for the program on allegations of police misconduct sponsored by the ULCC Subcommittee on Administration of Justice.

He called the OPS a disaster as a reform of the internal investigation process that had been ineffective for decades. He pointed to delays in interviewing accused officers and lack of follow-up with witnesses as causes of the small percentage of sustained complaints.

But Bowman sees possibilities for the IPRA, which has subpoena power and reporting requirements. The administrator doesn't report to the police and cannot be removed without city council action.

Bad news, however, came in the report later that day that the backlog of 1,290 cases that Rosenzweig inherited had grown to 1,535 and now includes charges of biased verbal abuse and coercion.

Hampered by a shortage of as many as 20 trained investigators and lack of a clear understanding of how the IPRA will be funded, Rosenzweig said she had plans to outsource some of the work temporarily to private attorneys and investigators.

Meanwhile, the caseload per investigator on staff has risen from an average of 12 to as many as 30. Unfilled vacancies include 14 investigators and four supervisors.

A six-month timetable for concluding investigations is part of the ordinance, and Rosenzweig said that could be possible when the IPRA is at full staff.

The IPRA Web site (http://www.iprachicago.org) details the types of misconduct that it will investigate when informed by the public or by police personnel.

It describes its mission as building trust in the disciplinary process, "and ultimately the Chicago Police Department as a whole through thorough, fair, and timely investigations and increased transparency."

Bowman told his Union League Club audience that Rosenzweig may be "hamstrung" on issues that are not addressed in the ordinance. "I don't envy her job," he said but added his admiration for the "extreme challenge" she faces.