Community Policing in Waukegan and North Chicago
In this age of protests and concern over police-involved deaths in the cases of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, the police departments of Waukegan and North Chicago are trying a new method of improving their relationships with the community. This method is community policing, where police officers spend part of their shift walking on foot through the communities they work in, in order to get to know people and understand their concerns. According to Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham: "It’s what we used to call beat cops,” Cunningham, a Waukegan native, said during a virtual lunch with the mayor event on Sept. 14, laying out his vision for the city’s future. “This is what we want. We get to that point, (and) we’re building a relationship with the community.” Additionally, Mayor Rockingham of North Chicago has stated that the goal is getting people comfortable with the police department, making the city safer for everyone. Mayor Rockingham wants residents to contact the police when they have a concern. Community policing creates relationships between the police and civilians, and advocates of this method hope it will reduce tensions. See the articles for more information:
Calls for reform bring renewed focus to community policing, but does it work?
LAPD's new deputy chief says community policing can defuse racial strife
Question: Do you believe community policing can build trust in Waukegan?
Walking door to door in a North Chicago neighborhood as part of the city’s new foot patrol program are, from left, officers Gary Grayer, Reina Dionisio and Matthew Decowski. (City of North Chicago / HANDOUT)
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