All Oswego Employees Should Undergo Bias Training: Mayor

OSWEGO, IL — The Oswego Police Department is required to undergo yearly bias training and are subjected to rigorous bias reviews, said Village President Troy Parlier during the board meeting Tuesday.

Before the meeting began, he read out his statement regarding the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died when a police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck while trying to arrest him.

"Our Declaration of Independence proudly states that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Parlier said. "George Floyd certainly did not get his unalienable rights. The killing of George Floyd witnessed on video by millions around the world is one of the most disgusting acts I have ever seen by a man that took an oath to protect and serve his community. I can't understand how a human being can do this to another is outside of humanity."

He said even though this occurred in a different state, it extends to Oswego and demands that the village officials review their practices. He said he firmly believes the police officers in Oswego treat all people equitably and do not abuse authority, especially due to beliefs, race or ethnicity.

The police department is accredited the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which is an accreditation body for law enforcement agencies. According to Parlier, few agencies receive this accreditation as it is difficult to obtain clear credit.

"Aid agencies must undertake rigorous training and are subjected to biased reviews that other agency agencies are not," he said. "Every year, every year, our sworn officers undertake specific training that includes topics such as implicit bias, bias based policing, the escalation procedures that mandates the minimization of force, human rights, cultural competency and procedural justice."

In addition, he said, Oswego officers fully understand that Illinois state statutes explicitly ban the use of chokeholds unless approached with deadly force, and if the officers were involved in an incident involving serious injury or death, an internal agency would conduct an unbiased investigation.

"I strongly believe we were created equal in God's eyes. But I believe equally that we are imperfect human beings. To counter this, I'm proposing that bias and implicit bias training continue to occur every year for our sworn officers, but not stop there," he said. "I am asking all village departments to undertake this training for every employee every year. The landscape here in Oswego has been changing, and we celebrate our increasing diversity."

He talked about three ridealongs he participated in last year and witnessed the understanding that officers displayed to diffuse domestic situations among black residents.

"They had confidence to call in our police department to help in a non-violent, non policing situation. I believe that is very telling. George Floyd's death and the events of the last two weeks will not be forgotten."

Watch the full video here.