Message from the Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
The report on this website details the findings of a three-year investigation of the Joliet Police Department (JPD). Based on our investigation, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General has reasonable cause to believe that JPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution, federal law, and state law. Specifically:
- JPD uses unreasonable force, including tasers, head strikes, and other types of force, in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.Ss Constitution.
- JPD’s inadequate crisis intervention response system contributes to a pattern of unreasonable force against people with behavioral health disabilities in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
- JPD’s policing practices discriminate against Black people and raise concerns that JPD also discriminates against Latino people in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) and the Illinois Civil Rights Act (ICRA).
- JPD’s response to sexual assault is discriminatory against women, and its response to domestic violence raises serious concerns of discrimination against women in violation of the IHRA and ICRA.
- Failures in JPD’s accountability systems have directly contributed to these patterns of unconstitutional and unlawful policing.
- Deficiencies in JPD’s policies, training, supervision, data collection, and record-keeping practices have also contributed to these problems and enabled them to persist.
These practices have violated people’s rights under the law and eroded community trust in JPD.
My office launched this investigation in September 2021, following a discussion with the then-mayor and other Joliet city officials. The investigation focused on the police department as a whole, not on any single incident or officer. Our findings are based on our review of JPD’s policies, procedures, and training; hundreds of individual incidents; and several years of JPD’s own data. We also spoke with more than 100 current and former JPD members of all ranks, observed trainings, went on ride-alongs in each of JPD’s patrol districts, shadowed school liaison officers and civilians in JPD’s 911 Communications Center, and met with unions and members of the Black Police Officers Association. We heard from hundreds of community members, advocates, community organizations, and faith leaders through interviews, listening sessions, a virtual townhall, and other events. We also received and responded to more than 150 phone calls and emails from members of the community.
JPD and the City of Joliet cooperated with my office throughout the investigation, providing access to records, data, and information, meeting with us and answering our questions, and facilitating our visits to Joliet. In that same spirit of cooperation, Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy has affirmed his commitment to ongoing collaboration with our office to ensure constitutional policing in Joliet.
I recognize that many JPD officers serve their community with professionalism, dedication, and courage. Nonetheless, we cannot turn a blind eye to problems that continued unchecked over multiple administrations. Addressing these issues will not be easy. It will require continued dedication and collaboration from the City of Joliet, the Department, and the community.
The publication of this report is an opportunity to turn the page in Joliet. The report clearly identifies specific problems, and together but these problems can be resolved with leadership, renewed commitment, and community engagement. The residents of Joliet deserve no less.