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Galesburg forum tackles race and relationships with police

People in Galesburg, Illinois, are working to open the lines of communication between citizens and law enforcement.

People in Galesburg, Illinois, are working to open the lines of communication between citizens and law enforcement.

Dozens gathered at the Boys and Girls Club on Thursday, December 18, 2014, for an open forum hosted by the Galesburg NAACP. Discussion focused on law enforcement, community relationships, and any racial bias that may exist locally.

"Rather than just saying it doesn't exist, let's acknowledge that it may exist, and how do we prevent it from becoming a problem?" said one attendee.

One of the many suggestions offered was to streamline the process for making a complaint against a police officer and improve the department's follow-up with complainants. Others expressed interest in restoring the city's Human Relations Commission, including more diversity in the visitors' brochures, and adding police interaction education to the driver's ed program.

Residents also said they would like to see officers involved in the community outside of work.

"We need to get people out of their cars. We need to get people into the schools. We need to have interaction," said council member Peter Schwartzman.

Galesburg Police Captain Rodney Riggs, Lt. Russ Idle, and Knox County Sheriff David Clague all attended the meeting and said they will be taking the discussion back to their departments.

"We need to own that perception," said Idle.

The NAACP is also planning to host several police interaction workshops at Knox and Carl Sandburg College that will help people understand the rights of both citizens and officers in 2015.

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