Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty says he’s signed a pledge to review and potentially reform the police department’s use of force policies.
The pledge, a project of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance at the Obama Foundation, is premised on a recognition that “policies often fail to include common-sense limits on police use of force.”
Hagerty says the pledge commits Evanston to
- Review the police use of force policies in our community.
- Engage the community by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in the review.
- Report the findings to the community and seek feedback within 90 days of signing the pledge
- Reform police use of force policies based on findings
“Every police department in America ought to be taking a look at their use of force policies. Doing this under the auspice of an Obama Foundation pledge by mayors is even better,” Hagerty said, thanking the residents who brought the program to his attention.
Last Sunday thousands of Evanstonians marched and rallied to demand reforms after a series of deaths across the country of persons in police custody.