Submitted By
Rasheda Jackson, Assistant Village Attorney
Reviewed By
CLP
Agenda Item Title
Title
A presentation to the Village Board to Provide an Update on Work Being Done in Response to Village Board Direction from June 22, 2020 Related to Examining Policing in Oak Park:
1. Hold a Community Conversation;
2. Identify a Third-Party Consultant;
3. Perform a Review of the Citizens Police Oversight Committee (CPOC) via the Law Department; and
4. Evaluate Use-of-Force Polices in Accordance with Resolution in Support of the Obama Foundation Pledge.
End
Overview
Overview
This item is a rescheduled presentation from August 25, 2020, due to the early adjournment of that meeting of the Village Board.
On June 22, 2020, the Village Board approved two actions related to the examination of policing in Oak Park and staff will present an update to the Board on both actions:
Motion 20-035: Direct staff to hold a community conversation, identify a third party consultant and perform a review of the Citizen Police Oversight Committee via the Law Department.
Resolution 20-155: A Resolution in Support of the Obama Foundation Pledge which was taken by Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb as Part of a National Effort to Address Police Violence and Systemic Racism by Evaluating Local Police Use of Force Policies.
Body
Staff Recommendation
Presentation and discussion.
Background
Special Meetings of the Village Board are scheduled for Tuesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 27, 2020 to allow for follow-up presentations related to the Village Board meeting held on June 22, 2022 the Village Board held a substantive discussion the Obama Pledge to address local police use of force and examination of policing in Oak Park as part of the social movement Black Lives Matter.
The minutes of that meeting are attached. As a part of the meeting the Village Board approved a Resolution in support of the Obama Foundation Pledge to evaluate local use of force policies and a Motion to direct staff to hold a community conversation, identify a third part consultant and perform a review of the Citizens Police Oversight Committee via the Law Department.
As part of this special meeting staff will present the following:
1. Community Conversation
Assistant Village Attorney Rasheda Jackson will provide an overview of the two virtual community listening sessions on policing in Oak Park which were earlier this month. The sessions attracted 11 speakers, four on Wed., Aug. 6 and seven on Thurs., Aug. 7. The sessions were not intended to be interactive discussions, but focused on personal experiences with the Oak Park Police Department. Another 10 individuals have so far chosen to share testimonials privately via email to Assistant Village Attorney Jackson who moderated the listening sessions. Information on the meetings was widely disseminated in advance via multiple e-news and social media posts, a dedicated webpage in a question-and-answer format and a news release that generated stories in both the Wednesday Journal and the Oak Leaves. The sessions also were promoted via a paid boost on Facebook to all users within a three-mile radius of Oak Park who don’t follow the Village Facebook page. The meeting videos are archived online at www.oak-park.us/boardtv <http://www.oak-park.us/boardtv> .
2. Third Party Consultant
Assistant Village Attorney Jackson has prepared the attached draft Request for Proposals (RFP) which is scheduled to be issued on or about September 1, 2020 subject to Board feedback and discussion as part of this Special Meeting.
3. CPOC Review
Assistant Village Attorney Jackson has prepared the attached Memorandum to addresses whether the Citizen Police Oversight Committee (CPOC) is performing within the parameters of its procedural rules and the Village Ordinance per the request of the Village Board at the June 22, 2020 regular Board meeting. Assistant Village Manager/Human Resources Director Kira Tchang also participated in this review and will participate in this presentation.
4. Obama Pledge
Police Chief LaDon Reynolds will provide an overview of the Oak Park Police Departments status of its update of General Orders and rules as it relates to the review of use of force.