Committee debates law-enforcement response and accountability ordinance; members press for training and legal review

Waukegan’s Community Development Committee spent a substantial portion of its March 2 meeting discussing a proposed ordinance to establish a law-enforcement response and accountability framework for incidents involving civil immigration enforcement. The item remained in discussion with no committee vote recorded.

Alderman Hayes opened with procedural concerns about multiple draft versions and a redlined copy on the agenda, emphasizing the need for implementation clarity. "We need to make sure the police know what their obligations are or lack thereof and make sure that we have something that is implemented," he said, urging explicit references to "civil immigration enforcement" to limit ambiguity.

Alderwoman Florian said officers should receive specialized training and the city should budget for both training and community outreach to avoid giving residents false expectations about police actions. "I don't think we should just assume all of our officers will be successful at this kind of interaction," she said, and added that 911 operators must also be prepared.

Council members agreed they should solicit a formal review by the state's attorney before advancing the ordinance; legal counsel confirmed the state's attorney had been informed but had not completed a full review. Members also flagged unclear language in the ordinance's 'non-cooperation' section and debated whether a specialized police task force might be established to respond to such calls.

The draft envisions specific on-scene practices — such as activating body-worn cameras and documenting interactions — but council members sought crisper, legally vetted wording before moving forward. The chair said he would circulate follow-up questions and staff would coordinate with legal counsel, police leadership, and community stakeholders ahead of the next discussion.