Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the city of Springfield, Springfield Police Department and DOJ jointly selected an independent compliance evaluator, who will serve as an agent of the Court, and who will assess and report whether the requirements of the agreement have been implemented and whether this implementation is resulting in constitutional and effective policing. The compliance evaluator will work with both the City of Springfield and DOJ to identify and address any barriers to compliance and provide technical assistance to the Springfield Police Department (SPD) to overcome those barriers. The compliance evaluator will not, nor is it intended to, replace or assume the role and duties of any SPD employee, including the Board of Police Commissioners or the Police Superintendent or any other city official.
To meet all requirements and timelines detailed in the DOJ agreement, the projected budget for O’Toole Associates over the four (4) year period is approximately $1.6 million.
The city of Springfield and the DOJ announced Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in May 11, 2022 with applications due by June 10, 2022. O’Toole Associates was one of four RFQ applications received. O’Toole Associates was selected as one of the two finalists that also made a public presentation during a virtual forum in July which was co-hosted by the city and United States Attorney Rachael Rollins and the DOJ.
O’Toole Associates was founded by Kathleen O’Toole, a native of Western Massachusetts and former Boston Police Commissioner and state Secretary of Public Safety. She also served as Chief Inspector of the Irish National Police and as Chief of Police for Seattle, Washington. Also, with O’Toole Associates is Rodney Monroe, retired police chief who worked in Charlotte, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and Macon, Georgia, and Natalia Delgado, former associate general counsel with the office of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Collectively, O’Toole Associates have over 100 years of experience in law enforcement and criminal justice with an emphasis on policing reform including police management, police oversight, modernizing policing practices and accountability, and enhancing effective community policing and engagement strategies and community trust.
Mayor Sarno states, “First, I want to thank US Attorney Rachael Rollins and her DOJ team for their efforts working with my dedicated city team throughout this process. I commend the selection of O’Toole Associates as the compliance evaluator. The members of O’Toole Associates, including President and Found Kathleen O’Toole, retired Police Chief Rodney Monroe – who I have recently met with, and Attorney Natalia Delgado all have an extensive and impressive background and experience in policing practices, management, oversight, reform and enhancing community engagement. They have shown to hold true to the highest ethics, standards and expertise in law enforcement and demonstrate a commitment and capacity to ensure constitutional policing. Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood, City Solicitor Judge John Payne and I are looking forward to working with them as we continue to move our Springfield Police Department forward, building upon the many policing reforms, program and initiatives we have already implemented, for the betterment of all our residents and business community in striking the delicate balance of public safety and cop accountability.”
O’Toole Associates have already met with Mayor Sarno, Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood, City Solicitor Judge John Payne, members of the Springfield Police Department leadership team, and Springfield Police Department union representatives. In addition, they have also started meeting with community members and organizations within the city and will continue with these meetings in the coming weeks. O’Toole Associates will also be scheduling a community meeting in the later part of September to introduce themselves to residents and the community. They will also establish a website where residents can stay informed and share their questions, comments, and concerns with the compliance evaluator.
The role of the compliance evaluator is expressly limited to assessing and reporting on the implementation of the DOJ agreement. It is not the role of the compliance evaluator to change either the scope or the terms of the agreement. The compliance evaluator will not, nor is it intended to, replace or assume the role and duties of any SPD employee, including the Board of Police Commissioners, the Police Superintendent or any other city official.
Below are the three individuals representing O’Toole Associates as the compliance evaluator:
Kathleen O’Toole is an attorney, member of the Massachusetts Bar, and holds a Ph.D. in Business with a focus on organizational change. She has served as a consultant to the US DOJ Civil Rights Division and as a monitor of a settlement agreement in East Haven, Connecticut, and a member of other monitoring teams in Chicago and Baltimore.
Chief Rodney Monroe (ret.) is an accomplished and highly respected expert in community engagement and police reform, serving as chief of police in three (3) jurisdictions: Charlotte, NC, Richmond, VA, and Macon, GA. He also served as an Assistant Chief in Washington, D.C., with a strong background in oversight and monitoring.
Natalia Delgado served as Associate General Counsel in the Illinois Governor’s Office with principal responsibilities for legal matters involving several agencies and boards, including the State Police, the Prisoner Review Board and the Department of Corrections. She also served as Deputy General Counsel and Chief of Litigation for the Illinois State Police, Deputy Director of Policy for the Cook County State’s Attorney, and as a City Prosecutor for the City of Chicago.