A panel of Illinois Appellate Court judges on Friday upheld a prior court ruling that mandated public access to the most serious cases involving alleged misconduct by Chicago Police officers.

The three-judge panel sharply rebuked the awards granted to the Fraternal Order of Police by the arbitrator who oversaw the 2023 collective bargaining negotiations between the city and union.

“There was no consideration of effective law enforcement or the policy of public accountability and transparency in the arbitrator’s award,” the judges wrote. “There was no consideration of the 60-year policy of open hearings for serious police misconduct. More importantly, there was no finding that such open hearings violated the officers’ due process or otherwise negatively impacted the officers. Law enforcem

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