Elgin contingent traveling to UK to study police tactics
A contingent from Elgin will travel to Scotland and London to learn about how police officers there respond to people armed with knives and other edged weapons.
Cmdr. Colin Fleury, Sgt. Jim Lalley, Officer Dave Zierk and Assistant City Manager Laura Valdez leave Saturday for the one-week trip. They will be learning officer safety techniques, approaches to use of force and de-escalation, city spokeswoman Molly Center said.
The majority of police officers in the United Kingdom don't carry guns.
"We are exploring less lethal tactics that are not prevalent in the United States and believe it's important to learn those tactics from agencies that have cultivated best practices with policies, procedures and training," Police Chief Ana Lalley said. "Not unlike other new technologies we've implemented, like our body-worn cameras, we are committed to due diligence with our research. As we strive to be leaders in the law enforcement community, we intend to provide a comprehensive review and analysis of the use of force research that is underway."
The cost of the trip is $10,611, including $7,093 in airfare and $3,519 in hotel accommodations. The funding comes from $8,091 in police drug asset forfeiture funds and $2,520 out of the city manager's office budget, Center said.
Valdez is attending "to further provide both a civilian and policy perspective, prompting questions that may not necessarily come from a law enforcement perspective," she said.
"The city's commitment to progressive policing means challenging the prevailing views on the use of force in this country," City Manager Rick Kozal said.
Elgin had its first fatal police shooting in 19 years in March, when resident Decynthia Clements - who was armed with a knife - was shot and killed by a police lieutenant. The trip to the United Kingdom was discussed during a "next steps" community meeting about the shooting in early June, Center said. The shooting is being reviewed by the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Mayor David Kaptain said he believes the trip will be beneficial. Police departments from as far as Sweden have traveled to Elgin to learn about community policing, and it makes sense that Elgin officers would also travel to learn from their counterparts, he said.
Councilwoman Rose Martinez agreed. "I think this is a great idea ...," she said. "To me, the police department is very proactive."
In November 2015, the Police Executive Research Forum organized a field visit to the Scottish Police College attended by U.S. officials from 23 local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"The United States and Scotland have different cultures and police face different threats, including the serious threat of gun violence in the United States that is not found in Scotland," a 2016 use of force report by the forum states.
"But with respect to persons with mental illness or those who are unarmed, or are armed with knives or other weapons but not a firearm, the challenges are similar ... and the approaches used by Police Scotland are instructive," the report states. "Police Scotland's demonstrations of their training and tactics showed how new concepts can be put into operation."