Cop Recruitment To Be 'Very Difficult': Darien Chief

DARIEN, IL — Darien's police chief this week agreed with some parts of the new state law on police, but he said at least one provision would make it harder to attract police officers.

At this week's City Council meeting, Chief Greg Thomas pointed out the provision that makes it a Class 3 felony for officers to turn off their body cameras when they are supposed to have them on.

"That will make it very difficult to recruit and hire officers," he said, noting that the latest local recruitment effort attracted a lot less interest.

Police chiefs across the state have expressed their concerns with the state law. It was proposed by members of the Legislative Black Caucus after last year's death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed the legislation, which takes effect July 1, though some changes will be phased in over the next few years.

Thomas said he and other chiefs recently met with the sponsors of the bill.

During a half hour speech, Thomas often indicated he agreed with the intent of certain provisions of the new law, but suggested "tweaks" were needed.

Some parts of the bill he endorsed, such as a state database on police officers' professional misconduct. He said such information would be helpful in hiring police officers.

"I think the database needs to be nationwide versus Illinois," the chief said, "but it is a good step."

Among parts of the law that Thomas spoke about:

• Chokeholds: In 2015, police chokeholds were banned in Illinois. "The (new) statute goes farther and a lot better," Thomas said. The new law deals with all holds above the shoulders, he said. But he said the law needed to be changed to recognize certain situations. "It takes some tools out of the officer's toolbox. Instead of a chokehold in certain situations, where you can't get to your firearm or other device, that's going to put that officer in a bad situation, But again, I think the (law's) intent is good," Thomas said.

• Custodial arrest: The new law prohibits police from taking into custody those charged with Class B or Class C misdemeanors. Instead, people would get citations like traffic tickets. In some cases, he said, that makes sense.

But Thomas said the law, as it is written, is not the best way to deal with trespassers. He said police should be able to take into custody someone who is trespassing and peeking into a person's windows. "I think the goal of not wanting to incarcerate low-level offenders is honorable. I believe the need to protect victims so that they are not further victimized is also a noble goal. That's not an either-or proposition," the chief said.

He said legislators should allow custodial arrests for certain Class B misdemeanors or move some Class B violations to Class A. He said the law's sponsors appear willing to make changes.

• Obstruction of justice: The law also bars arrests for obstruction of justice without an underlying crime for which the person is initially subject to arrest. But he said many police department actions are not related to an arrest. That includes helping firefighters at the site of a fire or keeping a crime scene secure.

With such a provision in the new law, a police officer could not prevent someone from entering a crime scene, Thomas said. If someone did so, he said, it would be obstructing without an underlying charge. When that example was brought to the law's sponsors, the chief said, one of them thought that an officer could make an arrest in that situation under the new law. "But I don't believe his interpretation is the same as the letter of the law. We have to go by the letter of the law," Thomas said. "I think there needs to be a discussion and a change."