Editorâs note: After careful review and discussion, our editorial team believes it is important to note that while what follows contains numerous areas of fact-based reporting, this story also contains a measure of editorializing, specifically in the first three and final paragraphs. Please read at your discretion.
President Donald Trump calls for specifics in his level of rebuilding police departments while some activists are pushing for defunding. However, an important tool is missing from the toolbox thatâll rebuild law enforcement in America. To prevent the whole of law enforcement from toppling is a simple tool, called the âlevel,â used to create balance.
From a distance viewed on a national scale, it appears both sides, police and protesters, are entrenched and unmoving, without balance to bring us safely into the future. But from a closer look after interviews with Huntley Police and McHenry County Sheriffâs Police, it seems local law enforcement is willing to look within for change and assessment. However, some of the groups looking to affect change have shown mostly a radical approach, ranging from defunding or abolishing police to various reforms. Because of the media exposure from the killing of George Floyd and other publicized and lesser known police confrontations, weâre more than ever aware of the schism between what protesters and police see for law enforcement. While Trump is generally polarizing in his actions, reaching a balance between the two sides may be very difficult without third party mediation. As citizens looking to live without fear in their own local community, we should ask whether we may help assess any blueprint for the future such as removing choke holds.
Had we as âthe public conscienceâ listened to both sides and developed our own blueprint, would we have asked questions of motive for Seattleâs mayor kicking out the police from a six block radius of Seattleâs Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) for a block party? After Floydâs killing, police in CHAZ found themselves under attack. The mayor is now calling CHAZ a police free festival zone.
Huntley Police have placed great value in communicating with the public based on the programs in place in the McHenry County community and from the words of Police Chief Robert Porter.
âIn my 32nd year in law enforcement, Iâve worked in suburban community settings and here in Huntley, we have a very high trust level. We take our partnerships with the community very seriously. We have more than 100 citizen volunteers working with us that partner on community events.
Nationally, thereâs room for improvement and if there are people that do not trust the police, we need to build those relationships where that doesnât happen,â Porter said.
Huntley Deputy Chief Michael Klunk pointed out outreach programs for juveniles, and a citizenâs emergency response team, and citizen police academy.
âWe have a lot of different relationships specifically in the village of Huntley.â If the public wants different programs or new programs, âthatâs something we can definitely work on,â Klunk said.
As a nationally accredited agency, the McHenry County Sheriffâs Office policies, including use of force reporting, are audited annually by an independent panel of experts. Sheriff Bill Prim says his department has passed each year without any negative comment. âWe are one of less than 70 sheriffâs offices in the nation to achieve this level of ac-
creditation and be awarded the âTriple Crown Awardâ from the National Sheriffâs Association since it began in 1993,â Prim said. The Sheriff further explained his department employs and trains a diverse, honorable workforce to ensure they meet the needs of everyone in McHenry County. Since COVID-19, Sheriffâs Police have expanded in the use of social media. âEvents like National Night Out, car seat checks, our Open House, interactive programs at Home of the Sparrow, and encouraging officers to volunteer for Shop With a Cop and other community based programs help Sheriffâs Police engage, be transparent, and identify our communities needs while we continue to build relationships with them,â Prim said.
As a citizen of reason you may ask about police training, how officers are identified and weeded out that do not meet a higher standard, defunding, and reform. Porter recognizes legislative changes are coming and he knows the Illinois Police Chiefs have been actively involved in working with legislators on changes to the system. âIf we have an officer receiving multiple complaints, we have systems in place to track that, so this is where being CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accredited really pays dividends because a lot of what we do⌠we have policies and procedures in place to address any type of misconduct or a pattern of misconduct,â Porter said. Defunding police from a law enforcement perspective has Chief Porter concerned. âLaw enforcement does an awful lot in different areas. To defund law enforcement right now would be extremely challenging, especially at a time when we are doing more and more training which takes more funding. We are at the forefront of a lot of issues including mental illness, homelessness, the heroin epidemic, and domestic violence,â Porter said.
Whether the public has a say on the future of law enforcement or Trump finalizes an executive order on police reform, we are in for changes that may not end protesting until we as a nation can see that life is better for not only minorities, but for everyone.
