The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Statement in Response to the Death of George Floyd

Village of Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb
Village Manager Cara Pavlicek
Chief of Police LaDon Reynolds
Deputy Chief of Police Joe Moran

May 31, 2020

Today, we reflect upon a shared grief, anger and even futility about the recent senseless death of George Floyd while in the custody of a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer. We denounce and condemn the actions of this officer who has since been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. 

As policymakers, administrators and sworn police officers, we stand for transparency in policing. To quote the Oak Park Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement, we know the people of Oak Park choose this community, not just as a place to live, but as a way of life and as a place to seek shelter, refuge and acceptance. Oak Park commits itself to equity, diversity and inclusion because these values make us a desirable and strong community for all people. Creating a mutually respectful, multicultural and equitable environment does not happen on its own; it must be intentional.

The Oak Park Police Department rejects racism and discrimination in all its forms. The men and women who serve our community as sworn officers believe in building trust and strong relationships with our citizens and endorse the values of community policing. We also strive for ever increasing the diversity of our department.

For decades, the Village of Oak Park has strategically invested in its Police Officers to ensure they have the best training and right tools to treat everyone with dignity and respect. This investment in people is about both the quality and content of training to ensure knowledge and understanding of civil rights, human rights, de-escalation, use of force, officer wellness, crisis intervention, mental health and extending compassion to those in need of immediate life-saving measures.  

We know this investment is not enough. We also must have procedural justice, transparency, accountability and honest recognition of not only the present, but the past as well. Additional tools are needed. And to that end, we pledge to support a public discussion about police training, policies and technology such as body cameras to determine the best ways to improve how we serve the Oak Park community.

Police Chief Reynolds has adopted the Ten Shared Principles established in 2018 by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP State Conference, the first document of its kind supported by a statewide civil rights organization and a statewide law enforcement association. These two associations mutually and deeply believe in the words and the values underlying these principles that espouse the values of compassion, integrity, accountability, fairness, diversity and inclusion.

We pledge our commitment to working every day in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. With the participation of the community, we are confident in a shared success that will become a part Oak Park’s legacy of leadership.

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