Sharon Fairley, chief administrator of the Independent Police Review Authority, acknowledged Wednesday that the audit is needed, given that since the agency's inception in 2007, it has on just two occasions determined that police shootings violated the Chicago Police Department's use of force policy.
During a news conference outside IPRA's offices, Fairley told reporters that the law firm McGuireWoods LLP will be conducting the audit to assess the quality of IPRA's shooting investigations and the accuracy of its findings. She described the move as a step for her agency to restore the public's trust.
"We know this is going to take time," Fairley said. "And that in order to prove ourselves, we're going to have to be much more transparent about what we do and how we do it."
