'Justice for all': church members confront DeKalb city council over police sergeant investigation

DeKALB – DeKalb pastor Joe Mitchell stood in front of the City Council on Monday after the audience recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and said, “it seems like somehow we say those words but don’t believe in justice for all.”

“Many of us are gathered here tonight seeking justice,” Mitchell said. “These are a community of people here who have not seen justice in a long time. So I implore you, please do the right thing. Let this community know that justice applies for everybody.”

Mitchell was joined by dozens of members of his church, New Hope Missionary Baptist, to appeal to the council and interim DeKalb Police Chief John Petragallo as the latter oversees an internal investigation into the future of DeKalb Police Sgt. Jeffrey Weese, who's been on desk duty after an August arrest of Aurora man Elonte McDowell.

Video footage of the incident shows Weese holding McDowell, who was charged with possession of marijuana with an intent to deliver, on the ground in what a forensic police doctor has called a chokehold.

“If we’re holding Elonte McDowell accountable for breaking the law, Sgt. Weese needs to be held accountable for breaking the law,” Mitchell said.

A DeKalb grand jury in December declined to indict Weese on any formal charges, although the internal investigation remains ongoing. Petragallo, who announced he will be retiring from law enforcement and will not seek the chief position full-time, said he hopes to have the investigation completed in a couple weeks.

Petragallo called the investigation his priority.

“It’s obvious that there’s a great deal of public interest surrounding this case,” Petragallo said. “We got all the material at the end of December, around the 30th, and I’m making sure I give the due diligence it deserves without sacrificing due process.”

Emil Scales, also a member of Mitchell’s church, asked whether the city had a “plan of action,” for how to better train officers to avoid what situations involving what he called police brutality.

“Since I’ve been here since 1996, I’ve had some instances with law enforcement that made me feel like I was being harassed,” Scales said. “A couple times I’ve had to call them, I was being questioned like I was the suspect.”

In response, the City Council and Mayor Jerry Smith offered their cell phone numbers and encouraged the public to maintain constant communication and voice their concerns.

“I see you,” Ward 1 Alderman Carolyn Morris said, speaking directly to the crowd. “I hear you. I want to listen to you.”

Smith said the police department will continue to work hard to maintain public trust.

“We are one community,” Smith said. “We are deeply concerned when folks feel that this city is not doing something that adequately serves and protects them.”

For the internal investigation, Petragallo said he is reviewing all the information collected by the Illinois State Police and the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office, who each did their own investigations following the incident. He said he will make a decision about Weese’s future based on department policies, police reports, and other accounts of the day.

Fifth Ward Alderman Scott McAdams, the council liaison to the city’s Human Relations Committee, said the committee invites residents to help review police department policy, though changes can be slow in government.

“The commissions do not move quickly,” McAdams said. “So the immediacy of that doesn’t feel right, but we are working on some sort of situation where residents can come in and review police and procedures, and can be aware of how police are being trained.”