Elgin police task force wants personal stories of encounters with officers

Elgin residents will have a chance to share their personal experiences with local police, good and bad, as part of the work of a task force looking to improve the relationship between officers and the people living in the city.

This week, residents on the 18-member task force agreed that getting a feel for how existing policing procedures play out in the community is key to determining what is and isn't working in the department.

The opportunity to share personal stories will come as the task force splits into subcommittees to begin work on the specific topics of misconduct, training and the amount of taxpayer money flowing into the police department.

The task force has already agreed residents need a binding role in investigating and addressing accusations of officer misconduct. Determining the specifics of how a civilian review board would work will involve inviting in members of existing review boards in other communities to determine best practices.

Another subcommittee will dig into the training, hiring and recruitment of officers. Members of the task force indicated they are particularly interested in how the department identifies potentially problematic officers.

"They are dealing with all types of people, all types of backgrounds," said task force member Penelope Williams. "They are carrying a weapon. They hold lives in their hands and decide whether they protect it or they take it. Are you capable of really handling this job? Are there red flags in the training, or are we just pushing people through because we need to get people on the force?"

The task force also wants to dive into the demographics of the city and how that compares to the diversity within the police department. They want information about how the department handles language and cultural barriers encountered when out on calls. They want data on what precipitates police encounters when officers engage with someone outside of an emergency call.

And they want exit interview information about the flood of recent retirements from the police force.

Finally, another subcommittee will examine the budget of the police department, such as purchases of military equipment and the balance between funding police officers versus mental health social service agencies.

"Are the police going to be your counselor or your therapist? No," said task force member Tish Calhamer. "But when the police respond, I want to make sure they have the proper training. Nobody questions the fire department on how they respond to physical crises. I would like to see the same for mental health."

The task force will resume its work in January.