Executive Summary
Headlines regarding violence in America and the deterioration of the relationship between law enforcement and the community resulted in the Illinois General Assembly’s enactment of Public Act 099-0352, Police and Community Relations Improvement Act. This Public Act, signed by Governor Bruce Rauner in August 2015, addresses comprehensive police reform at the state level, including the use of body cameras, expanded procedural justice and other training and independent reviews of police-involved death.
The Veritatis Institute convened a group made up of (5) Elected & Appointed Municipal Leaders, (4) Law Enforcement Executives, (4) Members of Research & Academia to explore the scope of this new law, its effect on our communities across the State of Illinois, and policy alternatives and enhancements for today and for the future. Using the Veritatis Way debate framework, the invitation-only participants reviewed and discussed the realities and perceptions of public safety in our communities, implementation and costs of this new law, and provided recommendations to make this law even more effective.
The outcome of the one-day forum included recommendations on the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) and suggestions on rolling out enhanced training. In addition, the forum debate prompted the creation of a survey of representatives of law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois in order to understand whether they currently use BWCs, if they plan on using BWCs, and what sorts of barriers exist to utilizing BWCs. The results are included in appendices of this white paper.
Building Bridges Between the Police and the Community:
The 2015 Police and Community Relations Improvement Act From Doctrine to Practice
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Oak Brook, Illinois
Background
The Veritatis Institute hosted its inaugural public policy forum, Building Bridges Between the Police and the Community: The 2015 Police and Community Relations Improvement Act From Doctrine to Practice on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. The Veritatis Institute selected police and community relations as its first issue, because it continues to be among the most critical public policy issues facing our leaders and society today. Nationwide public outcry for police reform reached a crescendo in 2015 after a series of highly-publicized incidents, including the police shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the chokehold death of Eric Garner, a black man from Staten Island, New York.
In May 2015, President Obama’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing published its Final Report identifying best policing practices and offering recommendations on how those practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. On August 12, 2015, the State of Illinois followed suit when Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed the Illinois Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (Act) into law. The Act was a compilation of 200 separate pieces of legislation intended to reform policing practices and build trust and legitimacy within the community. Starting in January 2016, law enforcement agencies were required to begin complying with the recommendations of the Act.
The Veritatis Institute forum provided an opportunity for members of Illinois law enforcement, local government and academia to review the implementation process and costs of compliance with this new law. In addition forum attendees were presented with scientific evidence about programs that work, and developed recommendations to make this law even more effective.
The findings and recommendations, including the BWC survey results can be downloaded by clicking the following link:
2105 Building Bridges Between the Police and the Community.pdf
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An Examination of The 2015 Police and Community Relations Improvement Act:
From Doctrine to Practice