The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) brought its People’s Academy, a condensed version of its Training Academy, to North Park’s campus last month.
COPA is an independent agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct. The academy’s goal is to engage Chicago residents in weekly meetings throughout the city to educate them about the agency’s work in public safety and accountability.
“In many instances, residents only learn about COPA based on media reports or hearsay,” said Ephraim Eaddy, COPA’s first deputy chief administrator. “Because our investigations and outcomes are related to police and community interactions—in the form of complaints to the agency, for example—it is imperative we provide clarity of process and core functions.”
Eaddy emphasized the interactive nature of the meetings, as community input is vital to their operations.
“If we expect people to trust an agency like COPA with their experiences, then we must be willing as leaders of the agency to make ourselves available to hear from residents, and we must be incredibly transparent about our investigations,” he said.
COPA is led by Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten BA ’01, daughter of former North Park Theological Seminary Dean David Kersten. Read more about Andrea and her work with COPA here.
