Better police training for crisis situations could prevent a repeat of July’s shooting of a 64-year-old Flossmoor woman by village police, suggested at a community forum on Saturday. I was.
The event was convened to strengthen ties between Frothmoor police and residents. Cop shoots Madeline Millersaid the family had mental health issues.
Another recommendation was for a trained mental health professional to accompany Flossmoor officers on certain calls.
In response to a July 10 domestic disturbance call, police shot Miller three times, once in the arm and twice in the torso. State police are investigating the shooting.
Flosmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson said Miller’s death was “an incredible tragedy, not just for her family, but for the entire village.”
About 100 people attended the forum at Parker Middle School, where participants were divided into small groups with the help of a facilitator to discuss their concerns after the mass shooting and solutions to prevent it from happening again.
During these breakout sessions, participants expressed “anger, confusion, disappointment and frustration,” said one facilitator summarizing group discussions.
Flossmoor Deputy Police Chief Keith Taylor said trust, communication and honesty are critical to building a successful relationship between law enforcement and the community.
“We all have a role to play in order for us to be strong,” said Taylor.
Hazel Crest Police Chief Mitchell Davis, former president of the Illinois Police Chiefs Association, was also a facilitator.
Davis said the community forums are the beginning of an ongoing process.
“It’s not the end, it’s the foundation for moving forward,” Davis said before the breakout session.
Davis said suggestions from a breakout session he oversaw included Frothmoor’s police being used by other departments to respond to calls that someone may have had a mental health crisis. I mentioned that it involves using resources.
Carla Madeleine Kupe, an attorney and co-founder and managing partner of CZL, a Chicago-based legal and business consulting firm, said the participants in the session she moderated were Flossmoor officials. I hope to be more proactive about community relations.
The goal, Kupe said, is to have regular forums “to ensure constant and consistent communication” between villages and residents.
Miller is black, and one facilitator said a concern she heard was that there was racial tension in the village, and that “unless it’s obvious, it’s ignored.”
“There is fear in the black community,” she said, conveying the concerns raised in the breakout session.
One of the breakout group’s suggestions was to seek diversity, equity and inclusion training for all village employees, not just the police.
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Video from a camera worn by the officer showed Miller holding what appeared to be a large kitchen knife, and the department ignored the officer’s request that she drop the knife and charged them.
family said At the Flossmoor village board meeting in August, Miller had mental health issues and questioned whether Flossmoor police officers had the proper training to handle such situations.
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Responding police on July 10 heard an “argument and commotion” inside the residence and announced their presence before a woman using a walker opened the door, police said after the shooting. .
According to police, a woman in the family began yelling, “You’re trying to kill me,” and she and the woman in the walker moved out of the police’s way.
Miller emerged from around the corner, holding a large kitchen knife, and “ran quickly at the officers with the knife pointed in their direction,” police said.
State Police are conducting an investigation and the officers involved are on leave pending results, according to Police Chief Todd Kamreiter. Said it should.
Nelson said the forum is intended to allow residents and others to “listen to us and let us know what you think” and that it is part of an ongoing process. said it intended to
“The conversation doesn’t end with this meeting,” Nelson said.
