ECC students, community discuss policing in the U.S.

Keonte Terrell has seen anti-black racism in action.

Cops have pulled guns on him and his friends, and his grandmother has been pepper sprayed.

"We've been through it all. We're just sick and tired of it," said Terrell, a graduate of Elgin Community College speaking Wednesday during a Black Lives Matter virtual discussion hosted by the college. "It needs to change."

ECC's new series of Black Lives Matter conversations was prompted by the May 25 murder of George Floyd - an unarmed black man choked by a Minneapolis police officer - and subsequent protests and riots across the country. It focused on policing in the United States and had 175 attendees, including students, local law enforcement and college leaders.

"I worry that 28 years after Rodney King, we still have to have this conversation about police brutality," said ECC Deputy Chief of Police Craig Campbell.

Campbell, 53, has been a police officer for 25 years. He said while there are some racist cops, most police officers join "for the right reasons."

"America has become an 'us versus them' society," said Campbell about police and the public. "The problem is that neither camp acknowledges the legitimacy of the other, let alone listens to their point of view. We are not your enemy."

Many law enforcement agencies are looking within to bring about change since the Floyd protests began, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jayme Taylor, representing the Illinois Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers.

"Ever since I was little, I knew that this was my calling," said Taylor about being in law enforcement.

Yet, as a young black woman, Taylor had her own brush with profiling when she first moved from Florida to Illinois as a high schooler. She was stopped while driving by local police who drew their guns because her car had tinted windows.

"I didn't let that experience stop me from contributing in a positive manner," she said. "Those experiences can either hinder you or push you to do better."

Hiring the right people with demonstrated abilities in community engagement and cultural competency as police officers is key to changing attitudes toward law enforcement agencies, said ECC Police Chief David Kintz.

Kintz said that after the 2014 protests and riots in Ferguson, Missouri, following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer, there was a similar public outcry for change, resulting in the development of 10 shared principles of community policing. Topmost is the value for the life of every person, he added.

Officials stressed the need for body cameras and training police on de-escalation tactics and crisis intervention.

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley welcomed the idea of a civilian board to review complaints about excessive force by police.

"Getting feedback is important and it's crucial, because I think we are not going to be successful without our community," said Lalley, adding, "all our use-of-force data is online. All our citizen complaints ... you can never be afraid of people questioning what you do. That, in my opinion, is what pushes police departments to keep evolving, keep changing."