Downers Grove Develops Police Transparency Plan

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — The village of Downers Grove has developed a plan to promote police transparency in the wake of George Floyd's death. The three-pronged plan comes in response to recent inquiries about the police department's "policies, procedures, training, actions, and behaviors," Mayor Robert Barnett wrote in a Facebook post.

The plan begins with publishing information about the police department's policies and procedures on the village's website, Barnett wrote. The info will include annual reports, accreditation reports, policy and procedure manuals and more, according to Barnett.

Next, the village will gather, answer and publish frequently asked questions. Barnett wrote, "Our goal is to provide straightforward answers to the questions many of us share."

Finally, the village will host a community engagement event to allow residents to make comments, ask questions and voice their concerns about the police department. The village plans to work with The Unity Partnership, a program that facilitates discussions between the public and police organizations.

Barnett wrote that the village aims to have the first two steps of the plan completed by Tuesday and the community engagement meeting scheduled shortly after.

Barnett wrote, "The last few months have been challenging for our community – but I, for one, am super proud of how this Village as a whole has acted in response to those challenges. Thank you all for making Downers Grove special and thank you for helping each other find the way forward."