W E D N E S D A Y
November 16, 2022 Vol. 43, No. 15
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JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
Library director, poetry lover Barbara Ballinger Obituary, page 10
In-depth police assessment report released Specific recommendations in BerryDunn report By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Hail, Chief Oak Park swears in Shatonya Johnson, village’s first female police chief SEE PHOTOS ON PAGE 14 COURTESY VILLAGE OF OAK PARK
In a detailed consultant’s report more than a year in preparation the Oak Park police department received some praise but also detailed criticism and recommendations across a range of complex issues including its approach to police stops, inadequate capacity to track and use data collected, a too modest and non-strategic training program, chronic understaffing and recruitment and retention failings and significant internal communication and engagement efforts with its officers. The report also dinged the village government for the dismal condition of the police headquarters in the basement of village hall on Madison Street. The report from BerryDunn, a consulting firm with strong ties to former law enforcement officials, also made direct reference to the similarities of its data analysis to that provided the village in 2020 by local volunteers in the Freedom to Thrive organization. However, in key areas the conclusions drawn from the data varied between the police consulting firm and the group of community organizers. See POLICE on page 18