Why the public’s confidence in police is on the rebound

After bottoming out in the wake of George Floyd’s killing and the summer of 2020, the public’s confidence in law enforcement is on the rise.

That’s according to a new report from the polling organization Gallup, which annually surveys Americans’ confidence in institutions ranging from police and the military to the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress.

The report shows 51% of those polled have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in police, up 8 percentage points from a record low of 43% in 2022. It was the largest increase among any of the 17 institutions measured by the survey. And police are one of just three — along with small business and the military — to rate better than 50%.

What have police done to improve the public’s confidence in just a few years? We asked some suburban police chiefs to weigh in.

“I believe that there are two main factors for the improving confidence. First is transparency,” Wheeling Chief Jamie Dunne said, noting the widespread use of body-worn cameras.

“Of the thousands of contacts and interactions between the police and those that they serve and come into contact with, rarely does anything sensational or particularly interesting happen,” he added. “But when it does, it is captured on video and can be shared with the courts or public depending on the circumstance.”

“Second, while there are fewer candidates applying for law enforcement positions, those that are applying and being hired are extremely capable,” Dunne told us. “These candidates have been entering a profession that has been taking a public beating, yet they ‘want to be the police,’ and bring an outstanding demeanor and strong desire to help the community.”

Lake Zurich Chief Steve Husak believes many in the public now recognize that some of the bad policing they’ve seen in the news does not reflect the work of their local — or most — police departments.

“I think the public understands that police officers are human beings who are doing their best to solve problems and serve the best way they can,” he said.

Lincolnshire Chief Joe Leonas, who also serves as first vice president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, said police have regained the public’s trust by focusing on improving routine interactions.

“We say, ‘If you sweat the small stuff, the big stuff takes care of itself,’” he said.

“We may do a dozen traffic stops in a day, but for those people (we stop), it may be their only interaction with police,” Leonas explained. “They’re going to remember you for a long time and tell the story to others. All of those small interactions add up to public trust.”

Though pleased with the improvement, Dunne said the poll shows police still have work to do.

“While the trend is edging upward, I would hope that even larger majorities in the future gain confidence in their local law enforcement agencies,” he said. “Fifty-one percent is too low, and we can’t be satisfied with that number.”

National Night Out is here

Police departments across the suburbs will host National Night Out this weekend and next week with events like neighborhood cookouts, pool parties, concerts and even a golf outing, all aimed at strengthening relationships between officers and the people they serve.

The annual National Night Out officially takes place Tuesday, but some departments have turned the community-building campaign into a multiday event. Launched in 1984 in suburban Philadelphia, NNO now takes place in more than 17,000 towns across the U.S. — including 177 in Illinois — with an estimated 38 million participants.

The best place to find details of what’s happening in your community is to visit the town’s official website or Facebook page.

Farewell to a good boy

The Mundelein Police Department is mourning the death of its first police dog, Titan.

A German shepherd born and raised in Slovakia, Titan joined the department in 2015 when he was about 2 years old. He retired in April 2022 after serving seven years alongside partner Sgt. Steve Kroll.

After his retirement, Titan continued to live with Kroll as a beloved family pet, department officials said Tuesday in an announcement of his passing.

“Titan’s impact on the Mundelein community was significant, and he set high standards for all who would follow in his footsteps,” the announcement reads. “Titan’s skills, abilities, and productivity were admired and respected by his peers. Although his bark and bite were intimidating, Titan was adored by the community and was a great ambassador for the department.”

Third time, not lucky

After twice having his sentence reduced in earlier court proceedings, the third time was not the charm for a former Aurora man convicted of two gang-related murders committed when he was just 17 years old.

A state appeals court this week rejected Matthew A. Quigley’s bid for a third resentencing hearing for killing two men on the orders of gang leaders in 2002.

Quigley, now 39, initially was sentenced to life in prison after his 2007 convictions, but that was “reduced” to a 109-year term after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 banned mandatory life sentences for teenagers. That term was thrown out in 2020 after the Illinois Supreme Court outlawed de facto life sentences for teens.

Quigley then received an 80-year term, which he quickly appealed, arguing that the Kane County judge who sentenced him ignored his rehabilitative progress over the last two decades and imposed excessive punishment.

In its decision handed down Monday, the Second District Appellate Court of Illinois acknowledged Quigley’s progress, but said it cannot set aside his crimes — both of which involved gunning down victims in public as they tried to run away from him.

“Defendant’s rehabilitative progress does not negate the atrocity of the crimes he committed,” Judge Susan F. Hutchinson wrote in the unanimous ruling. “(The) defendant had previously demonstrated the ability to disobey direct orders from higher-ups in his gang. Yet despite that ability, he still made the conscious choice to kill two innocent, unarmed, young men, shooting at their turned backs even as they retreated.”

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