Meeting with Chiefs about Body Cameras

 In the aftermath of the most recent spate of high profile police use of deadly force incidents, Unity Partnership has been urgently working to find ways that DuPage County community members can become better informed about and more actively involved with their police departments.   We feel that this ongoing community involvement can go a long way toward restoring trust.  UP, in conjunction with representatives from the DuPage Chiefs, has been working on a Template of recommendations which we believe will improve transparency.   One of our recommendations is the adoption of body cameras. We recognize that this is a complex issue.  While our police partners generally express support for body cameras, there are concerns about the legislation mandating them, the costs of implementation, and data storage.  On Sept 10th, members of Unity Partnership were joined by police chiefs from 12 departments:  Lisle, Glendale Heights, Roselle, Oak Brook, Bloomingdale, Woodridge, Darien, Carol Stream, Hazelcrest, Wheaton, and Lombard to discuss these issues.  Despite the challenges, a few of the departments have already adopted them and the majority of the others are in the process. We were struck by our shared recognition of the importance of body cameras in protecting both the community and the police.  We know this step is essential in ensuring transparency and appreciated the opportunity to know where the departments stand.   Unity Partnership pledged to continue to work with municipalities to underscore the importance of implementation and support efforts to fund them.

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