Riverwoods Police Department Affirms Ten Shared Principles Mutually Created by ILACP and NAACP

In 2018, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Board of Officers and the Illinois NAACP State Conference of Branches as part of an ongoing effort by both organizations to improve the relationship between the police and the communities they serve adopted a joint statement of agreement setting forth “Ten Shared Principles”. The Village of Riverwoods Police Department was among the first agencies to join in re-affirming these principles.  The training video to the right has been reviewed by all Riverwoods Officers.  This video helps explain why we endorse these principles and put them into practice.

NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we affirm the following principles regarding the relationship between law enforcement and the communities and people they serve in Illinois:

1. We value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest value.
2. All persons should be treated with dignity and respect. This is another foundational value.
3. We reject discrimination toward any person that is based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or familial status
4. We endorse the six pillars in the report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century The first pillar is to build and rebuild trust through procedural justice, transparency, accountability, and honest recognition of past and present obstacles.
5. We endorse the four pillars of procedural justice, which are fairness, voice (i.e., an opportunity for citizens and police to believe they are heard), transparency, and impartiality.
6. We endorse the values inherent in community policing, which includes community partnerships involving law enforcement, engagement of police officers with residents outside of interaction specific to enforcement of laws, and problem-solving that is collaborative, not one-sided.
7. We believe that developing strong ongoing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color at the leadership level and street level will be the keys to diminishing and eliminating racial tension.
8. We believe that law enforcement and community leaders have a mutual responsibility to encourage all citizens to gain a better understanding and knowledge of the law to assist them in their interactions with law enforcement officers.
9. We support diversity in police departments and in the law enforcement Law enforcement and communities have a mutual responsibility and should work together to make a concerted effort to recruit diverse police departments.
10. We believe de-escalation training should be required to ensure the safety of community members and officers. We endorse using de-escalation tactics to reduce the potential for confrontations that endanger law enforcement officers and community members; and the principle that human life should be taken only as a last resort.