BY DAVE PARRO
The Aurora Police Department is looking for volunteers to serve on a panel being formed to improve communication with residents. But Police Advisory Committee meetings will be closed to the public to encourage "open and frank discussion."
Does anyone else find that ironic and self-defeating?
Police hope committee members will give feedback to the department on issues in the community and serve as a conduit to bring information about police to their neighbors and co-workers.
Informal advisory committees not appointed by or accountable to a public body are not subject to the Illinois Open Meetings Act and are therefore allowed to meet in private. But the Police Advisory Committee can meet in public if members choose to do so.
Police brass are worried openness would allow people with single-issue complaints to "hijack" the meetings. They also fear people would not be able to speak freely with the press in attendance.
Those are poor excuses that don't prove to be true in any other setting, such as City Council meetings. If the APD wants a public dialogue about police issues, then the public needs to be invited.
Leave a comment