From April to June 2024, Oak Park police stopped and questioned or searched 66 people, and the majority of them were Black men, police department data shows.
Only seven of these stops, called field or pedestrian stops, were initiated by police, according to Shatonya Johnson, Oak Park’s police chief. The other 59 were calls from community members who called police to respond to a situation.
The stops from the second quarter of 2024 resulted in only five arrests, Johnson reported. The arrests were for two retail thefts, an “assist to another agency,” an active warrant and a criminal trespass incident.
The report showed that 89% of those stopped in April were Black individuals. That includes 20 Black men and three Black women. The other 11% of individuals stopped were white.
According to the data, 10 of the Black men stopped in April were stopped because they were reported as a “suspicious person” or for “suspicious activity.” Other suspected crimes for individuals stopped that month include trespass, “suspicious auto” or are classified as “other.”
In May, 67% of individuals stopped were Black, according to police data. That includes 12 Black men. A Hispanic woman, three white men and two white women were also stopped.
“Suspicious activity” and “suspicious person” were common classifications for stops in May, too, along with trespass and “other” reasons.
In June, 15 Black men and one Black woman made up about 73% of pedestrian stops. Three Hispanic men and three white men were also stopped. The rest were reported as an unknown race or ethnicity.
“Suspicious person,” “suspicious activity” and “suspicious incident” were common reasons for stops in June, too.
Johnson told the village board in July that the police are trying to move away from categorizing stops as a “suspicious person” or “suspicious activity.”
Details of each stop can be found in the police’s second quarter presentation. The Oak Park Police Department did not respond to a Wednesday Journal request for comment.
At the July 30 village board meeting, Johnson said there was a recent increase in newly hired officers training in the field. And warmer weather typically results in increased activity and more calls for service, she pointed out. When calls for service are made, the police respond no matter what, Johnson told the village board.
Many of the calls in the second quarter, she said, were around businesses in Oak Park. Often, business owners or complainants want a warning issued before taking any further action, resulting in a lower number of arrests, Johnson said July 30.
‘Bad trajectory?’
Trustee Chibuike Enyia asked how individuals are categorized in the data. Johnson said the categories, such as listing someone as Hispanic, is based on the officer’s observation.
“We’re taking on a lot more stops that seem to be on a bad trajectory for Black and brown individuals in Oak Park,” Enyia said. “I’m trying to figure out what is contributing to this.”
Enyia asked what officers are taught to look for to initiate one of these stops. Johnson answered that only seven of the stops in this quarter were officer-initiated, while the rest were calls for service from the community.
Trustee Cory Wesley asked Johnson about when individuals are stopped for “matching a description” that a caller might have made. He wanted to know if those descriptions are stored and can be compared to the description of the individual stopped. Johnson said that information can be accessed through police databases.
Johnson also said there are some pedestrian stops that could be handled through the alternative calls for service program moving forward. Any pedestrian stopped receives a “stop card” from the police, noting the interaction.
The OPPD had 79 officers as of July 30, Johnson said at the time. The department started 2024 with about 83 officers, she said. The department is budgeted for 118 officers. Some officers resigned or retired, but others have since been hired. Johnson also told the village board that some officers who left have since asked to return to Oak Park.
“I do believe, from discussion, [they may have realized] the grass isn’t greener on the other side,” she said.
She said she expects an increase in police staffing overall in 2024.