December 21, 2024
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Joliet police chief points to new police oversight under SAFE-T Act

Advocates say a local citizens board still is needed to bridge a gap between police and community

By Bob Okon
Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans speaks at the City of Joliet Land Use and Legislative Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 13th.

Joliet Police Chief William Evans speaks at the Oct. 13 meeting of the City Council Land Use and Legislative Committee where he argued that a citizens review board of the police department was not needed. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

Joliet police face additional oversight, even without the creation of a local citizens review board, Chief William Evans said.

Evans mentioned new oversight created by the SAFE-T Act at a City Council committee meeting this month where a proposal for a local police review board died without a vote. It got little attention because few people know about it.

But Evans said new powers given to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board reflect the growing layers of oversight for local police.

“While I’m not in favor of the state SAFE-T Act, it does have certain measures in it that provide oversight and review,” Evans said. “I don’t think everyone understands that.”

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board is a state agency responsible for setting professional standards for local police. The agency already had the authority to decertify police found guilty of crimes. But Evans said it was not equipped to investigate police conduct on its own until that authority was given in July through the SAFE-T Act.

“They are ready and equipped with investigators,” Evans said.

He noted that the SAFE-T Act also mandated that police officers be equipped with body cameras, which Evans views as another layer of oversight. He noted that the Joliet Police Department has its own internal affairs division to review police conduct and that the city has a Board of Fire and Police Commissioners to review discipline.

“I don’t know how much more review we can get,” Evans said.

A citizens review board remains one more layer of review that advocates believe is needed.

Christine Bright, an advocate for the citizens review board, said she needs to learn about the new investigative powers given the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

Christine Bright of the Will County Progressives addresses the council on Wednesday, April 14, 2021, at Joliet City Hall in Joliet, Ill. Local activists asked to table a proposal for a citizens police review board in order to collect more community feedback.

Christine Bright, co-chair of the Will County Progressives, is among advocates for a local citizens board to oversee or advise the Joliet Police Department. (Geoff Stellfox - gstellfox@shawmedia.com)

But, she said, “It’s still the police policing themselves. We want representation from the community.”

The fact that few people know about the state agency may be an issue in itself.

“Are they going to do something so that the community knows about it?” Bright asked.

Bright said a community police panel of some sort is needed not just to serve as a check for potential police misconduct.

“We said from the start this is not just about police accountability,” she said. “This is about bridging the gap between the police and the community.”

Evans acknowledged that advocates for a local board might discount the state agency because of its institutional status, but said its potential impact should not be ignored.

“It’s not internal,” Evans said. He compared the newly empowered agency to a “statewide internal affairs [department] , and they’re not affiliated with our department.”

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