Police Chief Addresses Death Of George Floyd For First Time

EVANSTON, IL — Chief Demitrous Cook of the Evanston Police Department issued a statement Thursday in response to the May 26 homicide of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis with a police officer's knee on his neck.

Cook, who took over as chief last year, said accountability must be an ongoing priority for police department. While being a police officer is an extremely difficult job, he said, officers must monitor each other to ensure they follow proper procedures.

The chief said officers who "behave outside of these basic requirements tarnish the badge" and make other officers' work more difficult. Cook said he was working with senior commanders to find ways to review department policies around use of force and de-escalation techniques.

"The time for the law enforcement field to hear the people’s concerns has long passed," he said. "We need to get real with ourselves and take a hard look at how we operate, that includes the Evanston Police Department."

Cook has so far declined to comment on an ongoing internal investigation into the violent arrest of a 20-year-old Evanston man that took place a day after Floyd's in-custody homicide. Videos of the arrest captured by both the man being arrested and a bystander have been widely shared on social media.

On Thursday, Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty issued a statement pledging to "evaluate" the city's policies involving police use of force.

"Every police department in America ought to be taking a look at their use of force police," Hagerty said. "Doing this under the auspice of an Obama Foundation pledge by [mayors] is even better. Thank you to the Evanstonians who brought this to my attention."

Evanston taxpayers have paid more than $2.5 million in settlements connected to actions by its police officers over the past few years, Evanston Patch has reported. They include the violent arrest of a Northwestern University grad student who was suspected of stealing his own car by a woman who admitted racial profiling to a 911 dispatcher, a chase of a vehicle for an unspecified minor traffic violation that left a choir director critically injured and the fatal shooting of a family dog that was chained to a pole in the basement of an Evanston home.

Cook himself is currently facing a lawsuit connected to photographs of printout of booking photos and personal information he posted on social media in what he described as a technical error. Former Chief Rich Eddington said in 2016 the department has a better record defending lawsuits alleging police misconduct than Chicago or other area departments.

UPDATE: Evanston Police Chief Demitrous Cook To Step Down As Top Cop

In February, former Evanston Police Department Detective Fernando Gomez pleaded guilty to taking part in a cocaine distribution conspiracy in exchange for four years in federal prison. Prosecutors said Gomez joined the Drug Enforcement Administration to help a Puerto Rican narcotics trafficking organization after his time as an Evanston police officer.

Read complete statement from Evanston Police Chief Demitrous Cook

As the world and the nation continue to mourn the tragic loss of Mr. George Floyd, I want to extend my sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones. The death of George Floyd has been heavy on all of our hearts, and I wanted to take time to reflect and process my own thoughts and feelings before releasing a statement.

The unacceptable actions of the fired Minneapolis officers were reprehensible. It was deeply troubling to watch, not only as a police chief, but first and foremost as a Black man. People of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are hurting right now, especially our communities of color. I’m hurting right now, but this isn’t about me. It’s about self-reflection as a department and effecting change in this field.

Providing effective and efficient law enforcement service is every officer's responsibility. It is our responsibility to monitor each other's actions on all calls for service. Officers must ensure that proper protocols, de-escalation, tactics, equipment and supervision are being utilized. Officers that behave outside of these basic requirements tarnish the badge and make this work more difficult for the countless officers that show up to support, and serve the community.

Being a police officer is an extremely difficult job. However, there is an expectation and requirement that officers treat the community they serve with respect and dignity. I recognize that we don’t always get it right, and there are always opportunities to improve. Accountability must be an on-going priority for the entire organization from top to bottom.

I also recognize that the Evanston Police Department has a long history of effective community policing and problem solving. Our partnerships are strong and we will continue to move forward with creating public value. I have great confidence in the men and women of our department.

The time for the law enforcement field to hear the people’s concerns has long passed. We need to get real with ourselves and take a hard look at how we operate, that includes the Evanston Police Department.

Currently, I am working with command staff to identify ways that we as a department can review our own processes including those that govern use of force, and de-escalation. Once it is safe to do so, we will also continue our community focused efforts and programs, as they are crucial to improving relationships and creating dialogue. This healthy dialogue must be on-going and intentional. This is a real and unfortunate moment in history that as a community we can grow from.

Demitrous Cook
Evanston Chief of Police