Are the police officers in Glen Ellyn being trained to de-escalate altercations by using peaceful conflict resolution strategies?

The Police and Community Relations Improvement Act (50 ILCS 727) and Illinois Police Training Act (50 ILCS 705) mandate training requirements for active police officers in the State of Illinois, including the types of training referenced above.  The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board is the state agency mandated to oversee training requirements, curriculum and standards.      

Mandated training for active police officers includes:

  • Civil Rights
  • Constitutional and Proper Use of Law Enforcement Authority
  • Cultural Competency (including implicit bias and racial and ethnic sensitivity)
  • Human Rights
  • First Responder Procedural Justice (including impartiality, reasonable use of force, de-escalation training, crisis intervention team training, verbal and non-verbal communication, bias awareness, language and cultural responsiveness); and,
  • Mental Health Awareness (including de-escalation training)

New officer certification through the Law Enforcement Basic Academy is a curriculum of 580 hours which includes training in de-escalation, communication in the police environment, control and arrest tactics, procedural justice and mental illness behavior.  

The Glen Ellyn Police Department also has 12 police officers that are Crisis Intervention Certified (40 hours of training) and all members of the Department receive annual training in Mental Health First Aid. 

In April 2018, the entire Department received a 4 hour block of training which included representatives from the following organizations: World Relief, PADS, Bridge Communities and the Philip J. Rock Center.

In addition to the above, Glen Ellyn Police Officers are held accountable to our standards and values through a series of systems, including:

  • Our 18 month probationary period which is further explained later in this document.
  • In-car cameras and audio recording worn by the officers.
  • Training standards explained in greater detail throughout this document.
  • Supervisory documents completed daily.
  • Annual performance review by all supervisors that are related to pay increases.
  • A bonus program for exemplary annual performance.

Show All Answers

1. Are the police officers in Glen Ellyn being trained to de-escalate altercations by using peaceful conflict resolution strategies?
2. Are the officers in Glen Ellyn forbidden from using carotid restraints (chokeholds, strangleholds) and hog-tying methods? Are they forbidden from transporting civilians in uncomfortable positions?
3. Are the police officers in Glen Ellyn required to intervene if they witness another officer using excessive force? Will officers be reprimanded if they fail to intervene?
4. Are the police officers in Glen Ellyn forbidden from shooting at moving vehicles?
5. Is there a clear and enforced use-of-force continuum that details what weapons and force are acceptable in a wide variety of civilian-police interactions?
6. Are the officers in Glen Ellyn required to exhaust every other possible option before using excessive force?
7. Are the officers in Glen Ellyn required to report each time they threaten to or use force on civilians?
8. Are the officers in Glen Ellyn thoroughly vetted to ensure that they do not have a history with abuse, racism, xenophobia, homophobia / transphobia, or discrimination?
9. Are the officers in Glen Ellyn trained to perform and seek necessary medical action after using excessive force?
10. Is there an early intervention system enforced to correct officers who use excessive force? Additionally, how many complaints does an officer have to receive before they are reprimanded or terminated?
11. Is there a report on civilian deaths that occurred in custody as a result of use of excessive force by a police officer?