Homewood Police Chief: 'Do Better, To Be Better'

HOMEWOOD, IL — Homewood's Police Chief Denise McGrath release a statement to residents Thursday in regard to the Derek Chauvin verdict. McGrath talked about Homewood's police department having room for improvement.

Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died after Chauvin kneeled on him for more than nine minutes, despite Floyd's protests that he could not breathe. Floyd's death sparked nationwide protests demanding racial justice and police reform.

Floyd's arrest and death — captured on a bystander video — were seen across the globe. A jury found Chauvin guilty on all counts of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd's death.

"Abuse of authority is a problem that is as old as time. However, it is never more egregious as when a law enforcement officer abandons the oath of office and the most basic principles of human decency," McGrath said. "Derek Chauvin disgraced an honorable and noble profession and I applaud the justice system and those individuals, who denounced his actions with a clear and decisive guilty verdict."

The chief went on to say that there is work that could be done in Homewood to better the community and strengthen relationships between authorities and residents.

"While I am fiercely proud of the men and women of the Homewood Police Department, I also recognize that we always have the ability to do better, to be better," McGrath said. "As local, state, and national entities call for police reform, more accountability, and more transparency, we will evaluate and implement actions that support those principles. My commitment, especially to our black and brown community members, is that we will provide a safe and welcoming village for you. We will be present in the community and increase non-enforcement interactions with our residents and visitors to build new relationships and improve existing ones."

The chief added that even though Homewood's police department is a small one in the criminal justice world, it strives to be a "gold standard model and blueprint for other agencies across the country."

"I hope the community will join us on this journey to shape the future of criminal justice, social justice, and restorative justice," McGrath said. "I hope we embrace our differences and use them to strengthen the foundation of our community and the criminal justice system. Individually and together with values of honesty, compassion, and equity, we have the power to be a positive force of change."

The verdict — which took about 10 hours to reach —was read Tuesday afternoon. In Chicago, more than 100 members of the Illinois National Guard were called in ahead of the anticipated verdict and possible protests.