10 Shared Principles - Swansea

Almost a year ago Pastor Monty Weatherall from Love Church in Swansea and Police Chief Steve Johnson started meeting and talking about nationwide events in law enforcement.  Both were troubled by the events and the response from the news media and the public.  These discussions were not directly related to local events in town but both understood it could have a trickle down effect on perceptions.  The discussions were about understanding all walks of life and how different people see things differently.  They hatched the idea of starting the first ever Swansea Cultural Working Group:    

Pastor Monty Weatherall; Kendrick Bell – teacher/lives in Swansea; Police Commissioner Ranodore Foggs; Brandon Crisp – Swansea business owner; Mayor Mike Leopold; Deputy Chief Matt Blomberg and Chief Steve Johnson.

With support from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), NAACP and McKendree University SJEC (Social Justice and Equity Committee) the Working Group had many discussions about social justice, modern day law enforcement, best practices and just getting a better understanding of what was really going on.  Through the dialog, the concept of the Ten Shared Principles was introduced.   Some meetings entailed detailed discussions about each and every point.  The Ten Shared Principles was originally designed by the IACP and the NAACP in 2018 but we wanted to tailor it specific to the Swansea community and what made sense to all of us.  The Working Group decided it was important to Swansea citizens to advertise the work that was done on the important document.  The 800 member Illinois City/County Management Association Board of Directors and 250 police departments in the State of Illinois had voted to endorse them.  On November 16^th, 2020 the Swansea Cultural Working Group signed the Ten Shared Principles in front of the Swansea Board of Trustees.  The Trustees then passed it as a resolution for the entire community.  It is forever now part of our culture and what we do. 

Chief Steve Johnson

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/ygBZzFbB-qw

A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE TEN SHARED PRINCIPLES AGREED TO BY THE NAACP ILLINOIS STATE CONFERENCE, THE ILLNOIS ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE AND 

THE SWANSEA CULTURAL WORKING GROUP

            WHEREAS, on March 22, 2018, the NAACP Illinois State Conference and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police agreed to 10 Shared Principles designed to build trust between law enforcement and communities of color, and;

          WHEREAS, the two statewide associations vowed “by mutual affirmation to work together and stand together in our communities and at the state level to implement these values and principles, and to replace mistrust with mutual trust wherever, whenever, and however can,”

          WHEREAS, the Swansea Police Department adopts these same Ten Shared Principles as their own, and thereby add its name to the historic agreement between the Illinois NAACP and the ILACP.  These are the Ten Shared Principles:

1. We value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest value.
2. All persons should be treated with dignity and respect.  This is another foundational value. 
3. We reject discrimination toward any person that is based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or familial status, 
4. We endorse the six pillars in the report of the President’s Task Force on 21^st Century Policing.  The first pillar is to build and rebuild trust through procedural justice, transparency, accountability, and honest recognition of past and present obstacles. 
5. We endorse the four pillars of procedural justice, which are fairness, voice (i.e., an opportunity for citizens and police to believe they are heard), transparency, and impartiality. 
6. We endorse the values inherent in community policing, which includes community partnerships involving law enforcement, engagement of police officers with residents outside of interaction specific to enforcement of laws, and problem-solving that is collaborative, not one-sided. 
7. We believe that developing strong ongoing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color at the leadership level and street level will be the keys to diminishing and eliminating racial tension. 
8. We believe that law enforcement and community leaders have a mutual responsibility to encourage all citizens to gain a better understanding and knowledge of the law to assist them in their interactions with law enforcement officers. 
9. We support diversity in police departments and in the law enforcement profession.  Law enforcement and communities have a mutual responsibility and should work together to make a concerted effort to recruit diverse police departments. 
10. We believe de-escalation training should be required to ensure the safety of community members and officers.  We endorse using de-escalation tactics to reduce the potential for confrontations that endanger law enforcement officers and community members; and the principle that human life should be taken on as a last resort. 

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE BOARD OF THE VILLAGE OF SWANSEA, ILLINOIS on the 16^th of November, 2020 adopts the Ten Shared Principles as agreed to by the NAACP Illinois State Conference, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Swansea Cultural Working Group.