Chicago Police have opened a public-comment period for residents to weigh in on a new draft policy that would push reviews of officers pointing their firearms at people, and officers chasing suspects on foot, down to the district level. The public-comment period runs through November 12, 2026, before the department moves toward finalizing the program.
The announcement came directly from the department’s own social media account, with Chicago Police
posting that the draft District-Level Review Program is now open for public comment and builds off the department’s existing Firearm Pointing Incidents District-Level Review Pilot Program directive. The post invited the community to review the revised directive and submit feedback before any final version is adopted.
What the New Program Would Actually Do
The department’s post describes the revised program as building on its existing firearm-pointing pilot, which shifted reviews of certain incidents from a centralized unit to district supervisors. The program is expected to add foot-pursuit reviews. The pilot has been rolling out since December 2024, as detailed by Country Herald, and now operates across all 22 Chicago police districts.
That pilot shifted reviews of certain firearm-pointing incidents from a centralized department unit to supervisors working directly within individual districts, while the department’s Tactical Review and Evaluation Division, known as TRED, continues handling centralized intake, oversight, and any incidents involving reportable force, the outlet reports. CPD has said district-level reviews can help identify concerning patterns early and address them through targeted training, individual debriefings, or progressive discipline when warranted.
Under the department’s existing firearm-pointing directive, Chicago Police Department Special Order S03-22 states that pointing a firearm at a person to detain them constitutes a seizure. The same directive states a member may point a firearm at a person only when doing so is objectively reasonable under the totality of circumstances on scene.
A Sharp Rise in Gun-Pointing Incidents
The policy shift arrives against a backdrop of rising numbers. Chicago police officers pointed their guns at individuals 4,209 times in 2024, an increase of nearly 44% since 2022, according to data reported by WTTW. The station’s reporting found the number of times on-duty officers pointed a gun at someone jumped 13% between 2023 and 2024 alone, and that in more than 54% of 2024 incidents, the person targeted did not have a gun.
More recent figures suggest the trend has continued. CPD officers pointed their guns at individuals 3,255 times between January 1 and September 30, 2025, roughly 3% more than the same stretch in 2024, the station’s later report found. In that same nine-month period, more than 71% of firearm-pointing incidents involved a person who did not have a gun.
Foot Pursuits Bring Their Own Rules
Folding foot pursuits into district-level review connects the new draft to a policy area Chicago has revised before. The department’s finalized foot-pursuit policy already mandates what officials have called enhanced supervision, requiring two separate reviews of pursuits, according to WBEZ. That policy also requires officers to fill out a form after engaging in a chase, feeding data meant to improve policies, tactics, and training, and it added increased oversight, clearer guidelines, and more officer training, per the station’s report.
What Happens After the Comment Period Closes
Per Country Herald, the department expects to finalize the District-Level Review Program in early 2027, with foot-pursuit reviews expected to be added alongside the firearm-pointing cases covered under the pilot. The program is intended to improve pattern identification and support remediation at the individual-officer level.
