AUSTIN — Police Supt. Larry Snelling called for accountability and collaboration between police and the community during a public forum Tuesday night, saying progress can’t happen when both sides “demonize” each other.
The city’s top cop spoke before about 100 people during the meeting at Hope Community Church, 5900 W. Iowa St., which was organized by pastor Steve Epting and Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s 29th Ward Office following requests from Austin neighbors.
Snelling has been at the center of a separate series of town halls hosted by the civilian-led Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability for neighbors to ask questions and share their concerns.
“I go back to the concept of policing by Robert Peel: ‘The police are the public, and the public is the police,’” Snelling told attendees Tuesday. “It starts with the people in this room.”
As neighbors questioned Snelling about his plans to improve policing in Austin and across the city, Snelling acknowledged that siloes within the Police Department have prevented community engagement.
“So you have a group of officers that you call community police officers. So what are we telling the other officers, that they don’t have to engage with the people?” Snelling said.
All officers should be “involved in some way” with community members, Snelling said.
Neighbors also asked about plans to keep children and young people safe in and around schools after three shootings targeting Chicago Public Schools students in the past few weeks.
Snelling said police are “doing their best” and the city has deployed community violence intervention specialists to certain areas, but community members need to step in.
“A lot of these young people who are being murdered are engaged in acts that lead to retaliatory behavior,” Snelling said.
Parents must be aware of the activities young people are engaging in, especially on social media, he said.
“If we don’t hold them accountable first, the streets will,” Snelling said.
Preventing Violent Crime On The West Side
Plans for reducing crime are focused on preventing vehicle theft, Snelling told Block Club. All police districts and bureaus are working together, with dedicated teams using technology and “communicating with each other” to prevent robberies and theft.
“If we reduce motor vehicle thefts, we reduce the opportunities for those who would use those stolen vehicles in secondary crimes,” Snelling said. “We still got a lot of work to do.”
A few neighbors questioned what more the department can do to prevent violent crime associated with the illegal sale of drugs.
“When it comes to drugs, the police is limited to what they can do,” Snelling said.
The city’s complex gang structure also makes it difficult to tackle, he said.
“What used to be neighborhood to neighborhood is now block to block,” he said. “That is when street outreach is key.”
Snelling praised the police and Austin community’s collaborative efforts to reduce violent crime in the district.
“We have to have a big vision where everybody sees their place in the vision,” said Epting, who leads the Austin (15th) Police District’s faith-based sub-committee.
Known as the Austin Response Team, the sub-committee brings together faith leaders, neighbors and nonprofits to support victims and neighbors impacted by violent crime in Austin. The group coordinates peaceful gatherings on the streets to prevent violence and share information about available resources for jobs, legal aid, food pantries, safe spaces and other programs.
Along with groups like Build Chicago and Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, the Austin Response Team deploys street outreach workers for gang intervention and conflict mediation.
In the aftermath of last summer’s record-setting flooding that affected thousands of Austin residents, the group coordinated informational meetings with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help neighbors file federal aid claims.
To stay informed about community events and promote collaboration, Austin residents can subscribe to the Austin Response Team text group by texting ARTNOW to 844-325-4410.
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