Human Relations Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION February 7, 2017 The Human Relations Commission held a Meeting on February 7, 2017 in the Executive Conference Room at City Hall. Chair Larry Apperson called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the HRC were present: Larry Apperson (Chair), Norden Gilbert, Lisa King, Ellingsworth Webb and Robert Williams. The following City staff members were present: Police Chief Gene Lowery, Management Analyst Lauren Stott and Management Intern Emily Tipps. Notes were taken by Analyst Stott. B. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA – ADDITIONS / DELETIONS Commissioner Webb indicated that he would like to remove “Ex-Offender Re-Entry” from the agenda in the interest of time. The meeting agenda was approved. C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes from the January 3, 2017 meeting were approved. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No public participation occurred. E. NEW BUSINESS a. Procedural Justice and Policing Discussion with Police Chief Gene Lowery Chair Apperson introduced Police Chief Gene Lowery and indicated that he would be discussing the Police Department’s procedural justice practices and goals. Chief Lowery said that despite the fact that the cultural competency training budget was reduced, his department could not afford to wait for the training to begin for Police in 2018. He indicated that topics of this nature need to be addressed now. Chief Lowery provided an overview of procedural justice, and said that it can be described in a simple way as treating people in the way they need to be treated. He said that there are Regular Meeting February 7, 2017 Page 2 of 7 many internal and external factors that affect the relationships between the Police and the public. Chief Lowery described the Chicago Police Department’s issues and indicated that, although the City of Chicago has been met with some irreversible issues, there are some models that DeKalb has taken from Chicago. He described a “train-the-trainer” approach for providing Police staff with the four pillars required to implement procedural justice. Chief Lowery said that, in the past, DeKalb Police were “rewarded” for the volume of tickets that were written. He said that he worked to change the mindset to “Policing behavior.” Chief Lowery said he has worked toward using “behavioral policing” in DeKalb, and described how it complements the three pillars of problem solving, partnership and organizational transformation. Chief Lowery said the only bias should be against criminal behavior. He said this will help the Police gain “community capital” so citizens see the Police as a partner. Chief Lowery described the legacy of Sir Robert Peel and modern policing. He said that procedural justice can be described by Peel’s sentiment that “the Police are the public, and the public are the Police.” Chief Lowery described the City’s Resident Officer Program and the way it is working to facilitate relations between Officers and neighborhood residents. Chief Lowery described the way the Police Department is diversifying with an increase in African American, Latino and female Officers. Chief Lowery described initiatives including database policing, policing sensitive to special needs citizens, crisis intervention training and de-escalation training. Chief Lowery described the behavior-based policing that has been implemented in the Department, as well as the other training opportunities offered to Officers and the community. Chief Lowery described the 20/20 Vision for the Future plan for the Police Department. He also described the DeKalb crime trends over the past five years, and said that last year the City experienced a spike in crime. Chief Lowery described an initiative he has started to connect with Police Chiefs in college communities throughout Illinois, and said he will be meeting together with them in February for the first time. Chief Lowery talked about the culture of poverty and the different challenges it presents. He indicated that the college communities are experiencing similar issues to DeKalb. Chief Lowery said he is hoping that he will have more to report after the meeting with the other Police Chiefs. Chief Lowery said the State budget situation is creating a volatile situation with various Police-related and public sector activities, including mental health cases. Chief Lowery said that the big-picture items that DeKalb Police are facing are issues that face the entire the community. Commissioner Webb said he is concerned about the appearance of a “crime wave” in the community. Commissioner Webb also said that he is concerned with the Crime Free Housing Bureau’s (CFHB) ability to influence rental agencies’ background checks as they hire employees. Chief Lowery said that although the CFHB is working to address those issues, he agrees that there are issues with landlord education. Commissioner Webb talked about crime as an issue that was addressed at the February 6 Mayoral candidate debate. Chief Lowery described the crime reporting statistics and the intricacies of the data. He said one of the issues that is occurring in DeKalb is that many of the people who commit crimes in DeKalb do not have a DeKalb address. Commissioner Webb asked whether the Department collects statistics based on race. Chief Lowery said the Department collects racial data but does not report based on race. Commissioner Webb asked whether the impression that the majority of people who receive traffic tickets are African American or Hispanic is accurate, or if the Caucasian people who receive tickets pay their fines rather than coming to court. Chief Lowery said he believes there is a higher number of African American people in poverty in DeKalb. He said the majority of people who come to court calls at City Hall are African American, while the Caucasian people who receive tickets may pay the fines without coming to court. He said there is a challenge in identifying how to address the relationship between impoverished citizens and Police, and that he is actively working to make progress. Commissioner Webb said he believes the crime statistics planned for presentation to the City Council will create a negative response. Regular Meeting February 7, 2017 Page 4 of 7 Chief Lowery said he agrees but he is obligated to report the truth. Chief Lowery discussed a rumor that is being discussed regarding the potential for the University of Illinois to absorb other state schools into its administration. The Commission discussed the problems that appear as a result of being in a dysfunctional state. Commissioner Williams said there is a system that has been created where people of color are unwelcome in large cities such as Chicago. Commissioner Williams said he believes economics have a direct influence on people’s lives, and described the changes he observed growing up in Englewood. Commissioner Williams said he has had positive interactions with Police and he doesn’t believe most minorities have direct issues with the Police, but that the supply shortage is what causes issues in communities. Chief Lowery described the decentralization of gangs in Chicago and how DeKalb has been affected by that occurrence. Chief Lowery said he believes it is critical for NIU to succeed. Commissioner King asked about the difference between NIU Police-reported crime and DeKalb Police-reported crime. Chief Lowery said that the DeKalb Police don’t necessarily look at whether people who commit crimes are students. He said crime reports are separated based on jurisdiction, or where the incident occurs. Commissioner Webb clarified and asked whether the crime reporting levels in the summer, for example, change based on the presence of students. Chief Lowery said he doesn’t believe many students get in trouble for serious crimes, but acknowledged that some of them do and that students are victims more often than they are offenders. Commissioner Webb said he doesn’t recall that crime went down over the summer in 2016. Chair Apperson said that the Chief should work to be as clear as possible when presenting the data to the City Council. Chief Lowery said he will bring information to the City Council that is fact-based, and that is anecdotal based on what he learns from his meeting with other college community Police Chiefs. Chief Lowery said he feels responsible for crime issues, but that they are issues that affect the community as a whole and that the responsibility to address issues falls to the entire community. Commissioner Webb said the relationship between Chicago and DeKalb is complex. Commissioner Williams said there are people who come to DeKalb to sell drugs instead of party, and that they see the “economic opportunity” in a college community. Chief Lowery said that the Resident Officer Program is working to address quality of life issues, but that specific initiatives (tire drive, tree trimming) also help build relationships. Chief Lowery said that in 2016 there were more than 45,000 calls for service, or 1,000 calls for service per Police Officer in DeKalb. This call volume requires that each Officer leave opportunities to connect with residents because they are busy responding to other calls. Commissioner Williams provided statistics about the likelihood of students to get in trouble with the Police. He said he wants to engage some of the farmers in and around the community to create economic opportunities for young people when they leave high school. Commissioner Williams said he is working with Dan Kenney of the DeKalb County Community Gardens to consider economic opportunities. Commissioner Williams said he knows that you cannot force anyone to do anything, but you have to help them understand how they will benefit from certain opportunities. Commissioner Williams said it is irresponsible for people in the community to sit by and see other citizens struggle without providing assistance. Chair Apperson said he understands that proactive approaches from a variety of places (Police Department, HRC, etc.) can help solve some of the issues facing the community. Chief Lowery said he hopes people see the issues facing DeKalb as a community problem, rather than just a Police problem. Commissioner Webb said he sees a lack of funding as a major issue. Chief Lowery said parental accountability is another issue that faces DeKalb and other places. Commissioner King said that former NIU Police Chief Donald Grady might be a resource for the DeKalb Police Department. Commissioner King said she is skeptical that such a high volume of people who commit crimes are not people from DeKalb. Regular Meeting February 7, 2017 Page 6 of 7 Commissioner King said it is important to determine the ways that workers can be assisted so their lives can improve. Commissioner Webb said he doesn’t believe people are coming to live in DeKalb to commit crimes, but they are coming to DeKalb to attempt to experience a better quality of living that can be achieved in DeKalb. Commissioner Williams said he has taken it upon himself to attempt to provide opportunities for young people to be drawn onto a path of success rather than trouble. Commissioner Williams said the community should look to work together to make improvements, however small, to help young people, and that everyone in the community can get involved. Commissioner Gilbert said he is hopeful because although the City does not have many immediately available resources, the Police Department has worked to find available resources in creative ways. Commissioner Gilbert requested that Chief Lowery discuss the sanctuary city concept. Chief Lowery said that the DeKalb Police Department is not concerned with a person’s documented status. He said if a Police issue is escalated to the County level, that is the time when their citizenship might be addressed. Chief Lowery said that many people don’t realize that Hispanic people feel victimized and that if they are unable to communicate with the Police, they are mistrusting. Chief Lowery said he has been attempting to learn Spanish to communicate better with the Hispanic community in DeKalb. Chief Lowery said he commends his Officers when they go above and beyond to connect with the community and foster good relationships. Chief Lowery said he is glad he was able to present his information to the HRC prior to bringing it to the City Council. F. OLD BUSINESS 1. Cultural Competency Training Update Analyst Stott indicated that the Cultural Competency training has been transitioned to the Human Resources Department.  Commissioner Williams said he doesn’t believe Dr. James Cohen has heard yet from the HR Department, and Analyst Stott said that she would follow up to ensure a connection is made. 2. Finalize HRC Brochure The Commissioners indicated they are ready for next steps on the HRC brochure, which would be printing copies to be distributed by the Commissioners, posting at City Hall and posting on the City’s website. 3. Chapter 49 Municipal Code Review Several Commissioners indicated that they were unable to review all of the Chapter 49 materials and that they may prefer to address it at the next meeting. Commissioner Gilbert said he would like to address the change of “sex” to “gender” in the City Code, and that he would like to see a so-called “position memo” referenced in Ordinance 12-041. Analyst Stott said that staff would attempt to provide that backup material. 4. Sanctuary City Updates Chair Apperson told the Commission that all four Mayoral candidates indicated that they would not support DeKalb becoming a sanctuary city at the Mayoral candidates debate on February 6. G. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner King said she would like to acknowledge February as Black History Month. She also said she was looking for feedback on the reading material provided by Chief Lowery. The meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m. _____________________________________________________________________ LAUREN STOTT, Management Analyst Minutes approved by the Human Relations Commission on May 2, 2017.