BUILDING TRUST
Lightfoot says local police apology would be good idea
An unprecedented apology from the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police for “historical mistreatment of communities of color” was “thoughtful and well- received” and the same thing should happen in Chicago, Police Board President Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday.
Two months ago, Lightfoot made the case for increased training and changes to the police contract and to the way police supervisors are chosen to restore public trust in the Chicago Police Department, shattered by the police shooting of Laquan McDonald.
After hearing from a “startling cross- section” of Chicagoans who view police officers as racist, Lightfoot also made the case for “some kind of racial reconciliation” that would allow Chicagoans who have felt harassed or disrespected by police to publicly air their grievances across the table from police brass.
On Tuesday, Lightfoot, who also chaired the mayor’s Task Force on Police Accountability, appeared before aldermen again while testifying at City Council budget hearings. Only this time, she had some powerful support in her plea for racial reconciliation.
At an International Association of Chiefs of Police convention in San Diego this week, association president Terrence Cunningham issued a blanket apology for what he called “actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”
Lightfoot applauded Cunningham for “recognizing the fact that, particularly people of color and AfricanAmericans have not had a great, storied and productive relationship with the police, recognizing why that is, what it is, then moving forward in a way that is respectful and embraces the importance of community engagement.”
“If you haven’t read his speech, I recommend it to you. Very, very thoughtful. It’s been very well- received for the most part. Frankly, I’d like to see something like that happen here in Chicago. It would go a longway in helping all of our residents and frankly helping our police come together in a way that’s important,” Lightfoot said.
That prompted Ald. Anthony Beale ( 9th), former longtime chairman of the City Council’s Police Committee, to make his own suggestion about ways to break down the racial barriers
“Have a lot of the squad cars integrated because I believe that we can learn from one another. If you are in a squad car for eight hours a day for 20 years with the same person who thinks like you, you have nothing to learn from one another,” Beale said.
“Hiring more people of color that reflect the communities they’re patrolling will go a long way,” he said.