Mayor Lori Lightfoot has named the first executive director of the newly created commission that will provide extensive public oversight of the Chicago Police Department.

       The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, which has been debated intensely over the past five years in a process that drew input from dozens of community groups, is considered key to not only police reform but ensuring that Chicago residents have more say in how public safety is achieved in the city.

       Lightfoot announced Monday that Chicago attorney and public safety policy expert Adam Gross will serve as executive director of the commission, a seven-member board.

       The work of the board is expected to begin within months.

       Gross played a central role in the launch of the commission by providing legal, policy and technical support to community-based coalitions that worked on the ordinance that created the commission.

       “The establishment of a community-led commission for oversight of the Chicago Police Department and its relevant agencies is a historic milestone for our city, and I am thrilled to announce that Adam Gross will serve as its first executive director,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “Under Adam’s leadership, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will become a critically important piece of our city’s police accountability infrastructure and empower our communities to take the lead in this incredibly important work. I have the utmost confidence in Adam’s experience and ability to support and guide this new commission, and look forward to working with him as we work to make Chicago a national leader in police reform.”

       Under the ordinance, the commission will have direct input in both the selection and removal of the Chicago police superintendent, including approving a list of candidates for the mayor to select from when filling the position. The ordinance, which emphasizes collaboration, grants the commission and the department the ability to draft policy — but it is the commission that votes to approve it. The mayor retains the ability to reject the policy within 60 days. The City Council can override any veto with a two-thirds vote.

       The ordinance also established three-member elected councils in each police district.

       The goal of the commission overall is to make sure residents play an active role in the direction of the department.

       “I am honored and humbled to serve Chicago as the first-ever executive director of the newly created Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability,” Gross said in the city announcement. “Independent, civilian-led oversight of our Police Department and police accountability agencies is more important than ever before. I look forward to working with the commission, district councils, the Police Department and partners across the city to give community members a greater opportunity to help build a safer and stronger Chicago. I am grateful to Mayor Lightfoot and the City Council for their leadership on this critical issue and appreciate their confidence in my leadership on this momentous and historic step for our city.”

       asweeney@chicagotribune.com

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