Institute of Politics

Overview of Organization: The Mayor’s Office of Community Safety team, led by the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety, is committed to investing intentionally in people and communities through the full force of government and a community-driven approach that aims to:

Systemically promote community safety by addressing root causes.

Rapidly response to specific community safety challenges through trauma-informed and community-based interventions.

Read more on the People’s Plan for Community Safety here.

In addition, we work to:

Coordinate operations of the Chicago Police Department, Chicago Fire Department, Office of Emergency and Communications, Civilian Office of Police Accountability, Police Board, Office of Public Safety Administration, and the Community Commission for Public Safety Accountability.

Oversee implementation of the consent decree and other public safety reform efforts.

Support and advise the Mayor on safety-related concerns including but not limited to safety for new arrivals, returning citizens, and youth.

Internship Summary: Join the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety (MOCS) for an opportunity to get hands on experience in policy development and community partnership. This internship will be supporting the People’s Plan for Community Safety with research assistance, policy development and communications. In this role, you will contribute to public communications on impactful community safety systematic changes while and gaining insights into the policy and strategic development process within government.

Responsibilities:

• Support MOCS team with producing memos, reports, and presentations for internal City stakeholders, as well as community and external audiences.

• Conduct research on diverse policy areas covering the root causes of harm such as education, health, policing, economic opportunity/upward mobility and more.

• Collaborate with the policy team to develop impactful solutions to community safety.

• Source and analyze data related to policy issues, contributing to evidence-based research.

• Collaborate with your supervisor to help clarify priorities and determine appropriate assignments for graduate vs undergraduate level.

• Advance key goals and strategies of the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety including but not limited to, supporting the MOCS team in communicating strategy and progress on the People’s Plan for Community Safety and building transformative partnerships with community stakeholders

• Collaborate with other City departments and agencies on communications strategies and initiatives related to community safety, including the People’s Plan for Community Safety.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Pursuing a degree with a focus on political science, government, law, economics, econometrics, public policy, or statistics.

• Proficient in data analysis.

• Proficiency in Excel and keen attention to detail.

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Effective team player with a positive attitude.

About the Supervisor:
Your supervisor will be Garien Gatewood, the Deputy Mayor of Community Safety for hthe City of Chicago Mayor’s Office. Garien Gatewood serves as Chicago’s first-ever Deputy Mayor of Community Safety. In this role, he leads cross-government efforts to eradicate the root causes of crime and violence and advance a comprehensive, healing-centered approach to public safety. Gatewood spearheaded the creation of the People’s Plan for Community Safety, a community-led initiative that unites Chicagoans from all walks of life to address historic disinvestment, work toward healing our communities and make all of Chicago safe for everyone. Gatewood previously served as the Director of the Illinois Justice Project, where he successfully developed strategies to lift up youth and adults, provided support for returning residents, and helped guide policy in support of the Illinois SAFE-T Act. Prior to his time at the Illinois Justice Project, Gatewood was Director of Policy at the Juvenile Justice Initiative, a non-profit focused on legislation and policy reform for youth in Illinois. Additionally, Gatewood was appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the board of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the state agency that directs the development and coordination of programs designed to enhance and improve public safety. Gatewood holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Jackson State University and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Location, Modality and Commute:

Our team is in the office four days a week and ideally our intern would also be in the office four days a week, but open to possible alternative arrangements if needed. Our offices are located at: City Hall Room 501 121 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602. From campus, students can walk to the Stony Island & 57th street and board the CTA 2 Hyde Park Express Bus to State and Randolph.

Start and End Date:

Summer internships will take place from June 10 to September 27, with specific dates to be determined by the employer partner and intern during the interview process.