Title
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND THEIR MEMBERS WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES, DISAPPROVING OF EFFORTS TO DELEGITIMIZE THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION, REDUCING MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY, PRIORITIZING CRIMINALS OVER THE SAFETY OF LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS AND POLICE OFFICERS, AND CALLING ON GOVERNORJ.B. PRITZKER TO VETO H.B. 3653
Body
WHEREAS, the Village of Orland Park (the “Village”) is a home rule unit of government
by virtue of the provisions of the Constitution of the State of Illinois of 1970; and
WHEREAS, the Village, as a home rule unit, may exercise such powers and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs; and
WHEREAS, the powers explicitly designated to home rule units in the Constitution of the State of Illinois of 1970 includes regulation for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, law enforcement is a necessary and vital function of our government at all levels. Police departments enforce the laws enacted by the Legislature to ensure public safety, protect the health and property of our citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder; and
WHEREAS, the Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village support the efforts, best practices, and beneficial policy changes that have been put forth and adopted by the Orland Park Police Department and all other partnering law enforcement agencies serving the citizens of Orland Park while working to improve public safety and while continuing to reduce overall crime; and
WHEREAS, the duty of law enforcement is to enforce the law equally and in a fair and just manner without partiality, prejudice, or discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the egregious misconduct and bias of some law enforcement officers demonstrates the need for reform, but efforts to defund or abolish local police departments give credence to the incorrect notion that law enforcement generally is harmful to local communities, rather than a cornerstone of a safe and prosperous society; and
WHEREAS, the Village President and Board of Trustees support the continual efforts of our law enforcement agencies, and the Orland Park Police Department as they strive towards best practices and policy changes that lead to increased equity, transparency, and mutual trust; and
WHEREAS, the Village President and Board of Trustees have supported the Orland Park Police Department by approving the use of body worn cameras for Orland Park sworn officers; increasing the police-operating budget by almost 6 percent (5.92%) from 2020 into 2021, which included additional funding for professional development of staff; supporting the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Response Unit, enabling us to collaborate with Trinity Health to provide mental health services to those in need, on the spot; and approved the purchase of equipment and tools to protect the men and women of the department and to assist in fighting and solving crime more effectively; and
WHEREAS, all of this has resulted in the lowest number of Index Crimes since 1994, and crime in Orland Park continues to decrease. In the entire State of Illinois, the Village of Orland Park has the lowest violent crime rate for municipalities over 50,000 residents; and
WHEREAS, defunding or abolishing local police departments will burden remaining departments that may be called upon to provide assistance within municipalities that no longer have the resources to respond to emergency calls. Lack of policing resources will put citizens at risk, creating chaos and disorder; and
WHEREAS, efforts to delegitimize through harassment, insults, threats, and violence are not compatible with support of the profession of law enforcement and the men and women who take an oath of office to protect and serve the citizens of Orland Park and to improve the institution of law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, during an unprecedented overnight session on Wednesday, January 13, the Illinois senate voted to approve House Bill 3653, a 764-page document, after just an hour of time allocated to lawmakers for review. Soon thereafter, the Illinois House also voted to pass the legislation; and
WHEREAS, while the legislation is being touted as a necessary change that protects citizens treated unfairly in the justice system, many law enforcement professionals view it as an overreach, making law enforcement more difficult while actually diminishing public safety; and
WHEREAS, following the Illinois Senate’s morning vote, the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition, a collection of police unions and organizations representing police chiefs and county sheriffs, said in a statement that “in the dark of night Illinois legislators made Illinois less safe;” and
WHEREAS, the absence of law enforcement personnel in our communities could affect the state’s economy, discourage businesses from locating here, and discourage out-of-state residents from visiting. An increase in crime would negatively affect every Illinois resident’s quality of life.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park, Cook and Will Counties, Illinois, as follows:
SECTION 1
The above recitals are incorporated by reference into this Section 1 and made a part hereof as though fully set forth herein.
SECTION 2
The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park resolve to oppose efforts to defund or abolish police departments, or reduce municipal authority
SECTION 3
The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to oppose any efforts to prioritize criminals over the safety of law abiding citizens and police officers.
SECTION 4
The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to call on Governor J.B. Pritzker to veto House Bill 3653 and ask legislators to address this matter properly unlike they did with House Bill 3653.
SECTION 5
This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption as provided by law.