Events in Ferguson, Missouri, this summer have focused new attention on how much police force is necessary.

Police departments across the country, including in Will County, have acquired equipment through a federal program that provides the kinds of military-grade equipment previously only seen in the armed forces.

Joliet has been part of that police program, but Police Chief Brian Benton said good relationships in the community are still the best deterrent to violent, citizen uprisings.

“We’re prepared, but we rely on our relationship with the people to calm certain situations,” Benton said. “That’s one of the big things.”

Ferguson is the site of ongoing racially-charged protests after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old black man Michael Brown by a white police officer.

The shooting led to protests, rioting and a militarized police response that resulted in several officers being disciplined and a federal lawsuit against the leaders of the Ferguson and St. Louis County police departments for excessive force.

Viral videos of officers from various police departments nationwide using what critics said is excessive force have surfaced.

Local officials said the statewide Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System deals with rioters with a trained response.

The Ferguson incident sparked a national discussion on the apparent militarization of law enforcement agencies using a program called the Federal Law Enforcement Support Office, a program to obtain surplus military equipment.

Equipment

Police departments in Will County have used the LESO program to gain many pieces of tactical equipment. But they aren’t the only ones.

Agencies can opt into the program for an annual fee of $500 to $1,000 and can apply to receive any military-grade equipment, vehicles or even aircraft for just the shipping costs.

According to documents obtained by Shaw Media reporters, Will County agencies have received $878,476 in tactical equipment, including rifles, utility trucks, night vision goggles, an infrared illuminator and a mine-resistant ambush protective vehicle.

The documents only break down the information by county. And there doesn’t seem to be a pattern as to how or why counties receive equipment. For instance, Sangamon County, with a population of 197,465, received $1.5 million in tactical equipment, while DuPage County, with a population of 916, 924, received $843,160.

On the other hand, some counties didn’t receive much. In Grundy County, departments only requested and received four military-grade rifles valued at $1,996.

LESO also allows departments the opportunity to receive general equipment not used for deadly force.

The only players for that equipment in Will County were the Beecher, Plainfield and Joliet police departments, as well as the Will County Sheriff’s Office, which received $54,442 in computer and exercise equipment.

Beecher received $25,792 in equipment, including several repair tool kits, a pistol holster, clothes and a generator. Joliet received $94,536 in equipment, with 50 bayonets and scabbards, a cargo truck, 40 pairs of industrial goggles and several shipping and storage containers.

Benton said the bayonets are used by the SWAT team as utility knives that are not primarily for combat. The SWAT team has 25 members, so 25 bayonets are in storage.

Also, Benton said the department received an MRAP from the program. The vehicle has never been used, except in training scenarios.

“This equipment is for worst-case scenarios,” Benton said, adding much of the equipment the department gets from LESO is worn out and unusable.

“We’re very strict in the use and it isn’t used in patrol,” he said.

But Plainfield eclipses the three other departments, bringing in $284,101 in general equipment, including clothes, two trailer-mounted diesel generators, a rescue bus, several rifle accessories, gas detector kits and two all-terrain vehicles.

Plainfield Police Chief John Konopek said the equipment and vehicles may be used during a dangerous riot or situations where SWAT teams are needed. But the primary use is for rescue operations.

“We have a history of floods in the area,” Konopek said. “The bus and other vehicles we purchased are high off the ground, and we can transport first responders and people trapped in a weather event.

“We’ve been very active in the LESO program. But everything we apply for we think we can put to use, not for a traffic stop, but for an active criminal response,” he added.

Response

ILEAS is a strategic consortium of law enforcement officials, which responds to events such as what occurred in Ferguson with forces specially trained for such situations.

Konopek is the regional manager for Will County’s program.

“ILEAS trains for not just rescue type operations, but emergency situations like rioting and crowd control,” he said.

Officers from each police department are trained in handling riots in case they happen locally. ILEAS works with local departments to respond to events. It also conducts training exercises on different situations every month.

ILEAS officers are also subject to use-of-force policies outlined in section 720 ILCS 5 of the Criminal Code.

“We don’t want to punish the peaceful protesters,” Konopek said. “It’s the instigators that are often not even from the area that incite the others.”

Konopek said peaceful protests can turn into riots quickly when instigators start causing trouble. They may hurl objects at law enforcement, and as emotions heighten, people who may have started out peaceful may follow the instigators.

“It’s a mob mentality,” Konopek said, adding that ILEAS officers are trained to detect the instigators and may use deadly force on those specific individuals if the situation calls for it.

Use of force

Regardless of the agency, all officers need to abide by the state’s laws on justifiable use of force. Several police departments also have their own use-of-force policies. Joliet’s policy contains definitions for different types of force that can be used in situations.

Incidents where officers fire guns or use any other force that is reasonably likely to cause death or serious injury must be reported separately from non-deadly force, such as physical touching, gripping, holding, frisking, pressure point application or handcuffing.

Police officers receive training every year on deadly force policies and every other year for non-deadly force.

Police batons, oleoresin capsicum – or pepper spray – and tasers are the only authorized non-deadly weapons issued by Joliet’s department. And the use-of-force policy states in what general situations the weapons can be used.

“It really depends on the situation,” Benton said, adding that the department focuses on training officers to make those decisions in tense situations. “We’re also quick to criticize and discipline any violations within the department with termination of police officers.

“But the best defense is a good relationship with the people.”