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Oak Park board accepts Pivot report on police oversight; DEI staff role debated
Summary
Trustees accepted Pivot Consulting—s police oversight report and discussed converting a vacant DEI part-time research assistant into a half- or full-time DEI analyst to operationalize oversight recommendations; trustees asked for the hiring decision to be resolved in the FY26 budget process.
The Village Board unanimously accepted a Phase 5 report from Pivot Consulting on Oct. 14, 2025, which updated the Citizen Police Oversight Committee (CPOC) charter and offered a series of implementation recommendations.
Village staff proposed converting an existing vacant part-time research assistant position in the DEI office into a half- or full-time DEI analyst/manager to serve as the operational lead for police oversight tasks: implementing ordinance and procedural rules, serving as liaison to the CPOC, managing complaint intake and monitoring complaints to conclusion, and performing data and policy analysis. "We recommend converting a vacant research assistant position from part time to a full-time DEI analyst or DEI manager," staff said, emphasizing that some recommendations can be accepted while budgetary approval for the position will come through the FY26 process.
Trustees sought clarity about where the position would be housed (manager—s office, clerk—s office, HR or DEI) to preserve neutrality and public confidence. Trustee Levin Jacobson said she supported the report but wanted more detail on the proposed position—s duties and structural placement. Trustee Wesley said he would be willing to "receive" the report but preferred to vote separately on any staffing allocation; he ultimately abstained on the staff—s proposed half-FTE placement when the board recorded the roll call vote. Several trustees stressed that without staff capacity the recommendations could stall, and staff replied that the budget process would provide an opportunity to decide whether to fund the FTE.
The board recorded a roll-call approval of the motion to accept the Pivot report; the vote was recorded as yes from Trustees Straw, Eater, Enya, Levin Jacobson, Taglia and President Scamman, with Trustee Wesley recorded as abstaining. Staff will incorporate the report—s recommendations and staffing proposals into the FY26 budget deliberations and return with details about the position—s scope, reporting structure and funding.
