Elgin police and city officials fielded questions from the public and outlined the police investigative process at a forum Saturday that came about following the police-involved shooting death of Decynthia Clements.
The Clergy Coalition of Elgin hosted the event in partnership with the city of Elgin and Elgin Police Department at the Centre of Elgin.
“The vision for today is for us to learn from one another,” Elgin Community Outreach Specialist Bob Whitt said.
Clements’ shooting has created a lot of discussion among people with different viewpoints and opinions, Whitt said. However, he has found “we all want to see what’s right.”
Illinois State Police continue to investigate the March death of Clements, an investigation that will help the Cook County state’s attorney’s office or a grand jury decide whether criminal charges should be filed against Elgin police Lt. Chris Jensen in Clements’ shooting, the city’s interim Police Chief Bill Wolf said.
The Illinois State Police’s Public Integrity Task Force is handling the investigation, because under state law a police department can’t conduct a criminal investigation into a police shooting involving its own officers, Wolf said.
The task force has not given Elgin police any indication when it will be completed, he said.
Investigations can take three to four months so the task force may be done later this month or in July, according to Wolf.
Results of the investigation won’t be released publicly nor will there be a conclusion or recommendation, Wolf said. It’s the Cook County state’s attorney’s decision to file charges against Jensen or go before a grand jury to seek an indictment, he said.
Clements was shot March 12 during a standoff with Elgin police on Interstate 90 after police said she refused orders to get out of her car.
Jensen was on the scene with other officers preparing to use non-lethal methods to get her out of the car when she set it on fire, police said.
She emerged from the car holding a knife and moved toward officers when Jensen shot her, according to police video released by the city.
Elgin’s last police-involved shooting death occurred in 1999, Wolf said.
“It is very rare for us,” Wolf said. “As a community, there is probably not a lot of knowledge of the process because we don’t go through it very often,” he said.
Saturday’s community forum focused on providing residents an understanding about the investigative process, Whitt said.
A common question brought up at meetings with community groups, residents and clergy has been what happens in an investigation, he said.
A portion of Saturday’s event included a roundtable discussion between residents, police and city officials.
Clements’ father, Charles, and sister-in-law, Holly, were at one table with the family’s attorney, Andrew Stroth.
The city or police department needs to establish an advocate who can assist people of color, Holly Clements said.
It can be intimidating for a black man with a record to file a complaint against the police department for unfair treatment, she said.
She also felt police need training on how to handle standoffs and negotiations, she said.
If someone had called the family, Decynthia Clements would not have been shot, her sister-in-law said.
Stroth called Clements’ shooting unconstitutional.
“What is the city going to do about that? Having meetings doesn’t make sense. What makes sense is training police to uphold constitution rights,” Stroth said. “It’s tragic.”
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