Buffalo Grove Police Becomes First In IL To Complete Trust Pledge

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — The Buffalo Grove Police Department is in rare company. The agency is the first in Illinois, and only the sixth in the country, to complete the Trust Building Campaign Pledge, part of an initiative started by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

"This milestone is a testament to the incredible work that the men and women of BGPD perform each and every day," Buffalo Grove Police Chief Brian Budds said in a news release. "Public trust is paramount to our mission, and we will continue to build and strengthen relationships within our community."

To complete the pledge, BGPD had to implement 25 key policies and leading practices within the following six focus areas: bias-free policing, use of force, leadership and culture, recruitment, hiring and retention, victim services and community relations.

The strategies, according to the news release, encourage positive community-police partnerships that promote safe, effective interactions, create strategies to prevent and reduce crime and improve the wellbeing and quality of life for all.

"As a longtime member of IACP, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) and as a CALEA-accredited agency, most of the campaign’s policies and practices were already applied to our operations, and a few were modified to meet the campaign’s benchmarks," Budds said. "I am proud our department upholds industry best practices that prioritize safety and community building here in Buffalo Grove."