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Mission Statement/Ten-Shared Principles

Our mission at the Shorewood Police Department is to protect and preserve life, property, public order, and the rights of the individual.

We will provide quality service through the establishment of a partnership of shared responsibility, support, and trust with law-abiding members of the community.

We will maintain open community communications.

To fulfill our mission, we commit to the highest degree of professional conduct and ethical behavior.

Adoption of the Ten Shared Principles:

On March 22, 2018, the NAACP Illinois State Conference and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police agreed to Shared Principles designed to build trust between law enforcement and communities of color.  On July 19, 2018, the Shorewood Police Department adopted these principles, which include the endorsement of community policing, the development of ongoing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color to help eliminate racism, increasing diversity within police departments, and the use of de-escalation training for officers.  A copy of the signed Shared Principles is displayed in the Police Department's front lobby.

NOW BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we affirm the following principles regarding the relationship between law enforcement and the communities and people they serve in Illinois:

  1. We value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest value.
  2. All persons should be treated with dignity and respect. This is another foundational value.
  3. We reject discrimination toward any person that is based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or familial status.
  4. We endorse the six pillars in the report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The first pillar is to build and rebuild trust through procedural justice, transparency, accountability, and honest recognition of past and present obstacles.
  5. We endorse the four pillars of procedural justice, which are fairness, voice (i.e., an opportunity for citizens and police to believe they are heard), transparency, and impartiality.
  6. We endorse the values inherent in community policing, which includes community partnerships involving law enforcement, engagement of police officers with residents outside of interaction specific to enforcement of laws, and problem-solving that is collaborative, not one-sided.
  7. We believe that developing strong ongoing relationships between law enforcement and communities of color at the leadership level and street level will be the keys to diminishing and eliminating racial tension.
  8. We believe that law enforcement and community leaders have a mutual responsibility to encourage all citizens to gain a better understanding and knowledge of the law to assist them in their interactions with law enforcement officers.
  9. We support diversity in police departments and in the law enforcement profession. Law enforcement and communities have a mutual responsibility and should work together to make a concerted effort to recruit diverse police departments.
  10. We believe de-escalation training should be required to ensure the safety of community members and officers. We endorse using de-escalation tactics to reduce the potential for confrontations that endanger law enforcement officers and community members; and the principle that human life should be taken only as a last resort.