As municipalities across the country deal with rifts between their citizens and police forces, the Skokie Police Department recently held a virtual meeting to explain the village’s use of force policy and community policing efforts.
The Oct. 21 meeting will be followed by a series of four discussion sessions with Skokie’s Public Safety Commission on the third Wednesday evening on the month from November through February 2021, officials said. All the meetings will be virtual and open for the public to view live on the village’s YouTube channel and on SkokieVision cable.
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“We truly can’t perform our mission to the community without everyone’s support,” police Chief Anthony Scarpelli said during the meeting. “We also do what is right all the time, not some of the time. We always promote de-escalation and only use force when it’s absolutely necessary.”
A draft report on the issue will also be developed in the spring, with a public comment period during which the report will be posted on the village website prior to the document being considered final, said officials.
During the Oct. 21 meeting, Dep. Chief Brian Baker outlined the department’s use of force policy, which he said is based in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and on Illinois state statutes.
He said that according to federal and state statutes, police officers are justified in the use of deadly force only when they reasonably believe such force is necessary to prevent the immanent death of themselves or others, or to defend any person in imminent of great bodily harm.
The reasonableness of the use of force must also be based on the facts and circumstances perceived by the officer at the time of the incident, Baker explained.
“Police officers are involved in tense uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances, interpretation of the reasonableness of an officer’s use of force must include consideration of the split second decisions officers make in deciding the type and weapon of force to be employed,” Baker said.
In addition, he said Skokie police department guidelines state that officers may use force that is objectionably reasonable on a person that they reasonably believe “are a danger to themselves or others.”
He also said that in 2019, Skokie police responded to more than 40,000 calls for service in the village, including everything from traffic accidents to crime incidents.
He said that out of that 40,000 calls for service, police made 1,381 arrests, and that officers used force 55 times when making arrests.
“It’s an extremely small number of times that we used force in affecting arrests,” he said.
He also said that when officers did use force, that in 79% of those cases officers only “put their hands on people” being arrested and did not use weapons.
“Anytime you point a weapon, whether it’s a Tazer or firearm, directly at somebody, that’s a use of force,” he added. “It’s got to be reported. You can’t go around pointing your weapon at someone and not be able to justify why you’re doing it.”
The Skokie Police Department’s use of force policy is reviewed annually and at Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen’s request, this year’s review will be conducted by the volunteer members of the Village’s Public Safety Commission, officials said.
They said members of the village’s Human Relations Commission also are participating in the review process, and representatives from 16 community groups have been invited to participate in the community project.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter.