On
January 1, 2004 a law designed to protect minority populations from biased
policing techniques went into effect. Commonly
called the Racial Profiling Law, it means that any arrest, detention, or other
law enforcement action based solely on the actual or perceived race,
ethnicity, color, national origin, or ancestry of a person is prohibited.
In
order to comply with the law, we are recording certain required information
such as the name, address, gender, and race of the person who is stopped by
the police, including when and where the stop was made, and whether a search
of anyone in the car was conducted or not.
This data is then submitted to the State of Illinois where it, along
with all of the data collected from police agencies throughout the state, will
be analyzed. A report will be
published later in the year by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
In
addition to the information the state is gathering, the Village of Mundelein
is collecting additional data in conjunction with the U.S. Department of
Justice COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) Office. The Village of Mundelein was chosen to participate in their
study based on our proactive approach to this issue prior to the enactment of
the Biased Based Policing Act. Only
twelve law enforcement agencies in the State of Illinois were chosen to
participate.
Our
Pledge to You
The
Mundelein Police Department rejects racial profiling as a law enforcement
tactic, and we will not encourage, tolerate, or condone its use by any of
our members. We are committed
to sound practices based on reasonable suspicion, probable cause, and use of
good discretion. Our purpose is
to create the safest atmosphere for our customers (citizens of the community),
promote and foster a positive working relationship with the community, and
treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
If
you feel you are a victim of biased policing, please let us know. We are
partners with the community that we serve and will act as a guardian of the
people’s rights.
Raymond
J. Rose
Chief of Police
