A federal agency
is working on a project to assess the relationship between the Police
Department and members of the community. The U.S. Department of Justice
offered to assist the city in opening the lines of communication
between officers and citizens just days after a 15-year-old alleged he
was beaten by a Calumet City police officer while in police custody.
The Justice Department is still in the early stages of gathering
information, but expects to pass on recommendations to the city in late
January, said Police Chief Pat O'Meara. Don Pennington Jr., 15, made
public allegations he was beaten by a police officer while in custody
after he was picked up for jaywalking. In the days that followed,
protesters surrounded the police station and City Hall, calling on the
city to investigate the incident, suspend the officer involved and
repeal the city's jaywalking ordinance. Some say the ordinance, which
police have aggressively enforced this year, unfairly targets black
youth. The city said the ordinance is enforced due to a large number of
complaints from motorists who say youth walk in the roadways and are
reluctant to move for traffic. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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