(Photo courtesy Matty Ring/flickr)
By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – It’s the Town of Normal’s turn to grapple with the politically sensitive issue of police and race relations.
A committee of community leaders has been meeting since January, will present a report, and make recommendations at Monday night’s town council meeting.
City Manager Mark Peterson, who has been attending the committee meetings, would not comment on the report’s contents or recommendations.
The Bloomington City Council recently completed a lengthy and sometimes contentious debate in front of standing-room only crowds at City Hall.
Aldermen established a civilian advisory board, known as the Public Safety and Community Relations Board to make sure police follow proper protocols when investigating citizens’ complaints against police officers.
Last month, Peterson told WJBC’s Sam Wood there were no plans for Normal to create its own civilian police board, but he said the goal was to come up with solutions favored by various community groups and the police department.
The committee reporting back to the town council Monday night includes YWCA-McLean County CEO and President Dontae Latson, town council member Kevin McCarthy, and Unit 5 school board member Joe Cleary.
Peterson and Police Chief Rick Bleichner sat in on committee sessions.
A memo from the town’s staff to the council said the group’s discussion was “predicated on the notion that Normal’s police department has a solid record of professionalism and a commitment to improvement.”
The memo went on to say the group had a unique opportunity to “start a public discussion about race and law enforcement from a positive position rather than in reaction to a significant negative event,”
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
