Trump administration steps in to kill police-reform plan

CHICAGO (AP) — The Trump administration has informed a federal judge in Chicago that it’s seeking to scuttle a plan negotiated between the nation’s third-largest city and the state of Illinois that envisions far-reaching reforms of Chicago police under close federal court supervision.

An 11-page Justice Department statement of interest filed Friday says the reform plan would deprive police of flexibility to do their jobs right. It’s still subject to approval by Judge Robert Dow Jr.

It asks Dow “to allow state and local officials … to engage in flexible and localized efforts to advance the goal of safe, effective, and constitutional policing in Chicago.”

A mayoral spokesman says Chicago doesn’t “appreciate efforts … to impede our public safety reforms or inhibit our efforts to rebuild the bonds of trust between officers and residents.”