Oak Park police present field-stop data as trustees press on racial disparity and responses to unhoused residents

Chief Shataya Johnson presented the Oak Park Police Department's field-stop report for the third and fourth quarters of 2024 and answered repeated questions from trustees about whether the stops reflect officer bias or community reporting patterns. The department reported 168 pedestrian stops in the two quarters and said roughly 11% were self-initiated by officers; the remainder stemmed from calls for service that produced field contact cards.

The discussion centered on whether the disproportionate share of stops involving Black residents reflects biased policing or biased reporting by community members. "Looking at the data, I don't see bias stops," Chief Johnson said, adding that many stops originated from business calls related to retail theft and trespass warnings rather than arrests. Trustee Wesley and others pressed for more nuance, saying the data visible in the report does not capture…