Kankakee Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong announced Monday she has signed a pledge by the Obama Foundation to review the Use of Force policies by police in the City of Kankakee.
“Former President Barack Obama has asked Mayors to take a pledge. It’s a Mayor’s pledge to the Obama Foundation working with My Brother’s Keeper. “Mayor Wells-Armstrong said Monday. “That organization works with young black males to mentor them, make sure that they have educational resources, and just prepare them to become productive men in society.”
The pledge is designed to review police Use of Force policies in the community, engage the community by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in the review, and reform the communities Use of Force policies based on the findings.
“As of today, I have signed on to the Mayor’s pledge. I’m proud to be doing that. I already started that with Chief Kosman, he’s doing research right now. We’ve had a number of conversations since last week to look at what our Use of Force policies are,” said Mayor Wells-Armstrong.
The findings will be reported back to the Obama Foundation within 90 days of signing the pledge. Findings are expected to be received by either the City of Kankakee or the Obama Foundation sometime in early September.
“(This is) another step at being proactive at looking at our Use of Force policies here in the City of Kankakee. There is some additional work Chief and I will be presenting to the community in the coming days,” said Mayor Wells-Armstrong.
