Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul met with community leaders, activists and residents in Joliet to discuss the scope of the investigation into the Joliet Police Department and its potential outcomes.

About 25 people attended Wednesday’s meeting with Raoul and his team of attorneys who will conduct a civil investigation into any possible unconstitutional or unlawful practices by the Joliet Police Department. The meeting was held at the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

Raoul repeatedly emphasized throughout the meeting that the investigation was not criminal in nature and that the Statewide Grand Jury Act limits what kind of offenses his office can prosecute.

However, Raoul said his office can pursue a criminal investigation if his office has the authority or make a referral to another agency if they come across any crimes during the investigation.

“We don’t turn a blind eye to crime,” Raoul said.

The civil investigation is the first of its kind by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office under the 2021 Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act. The act allows Raoul’s office to investigate and take civil action to address patterns or practices of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.

Chris Wells, chief of Raoul’s Public Interest Division, said Wednesday’s meeting is the first of many with residents and community leaders to “get an on-the-ground sense of how the police department operates in the city of Joliet.”

Wells said Raoul’s office plans to review hundreds of police incidents over the past five years. He said the investigation will review how officers use force and conduct stops, searches and arrests. The investigation will also review any evidence of any discriminatory policing.

Wells said Raoul’s office anticipates issuing its findings in a written report. He said if there are any systemic issues with the Joliet Police Department, Raoul’s office can negotiate a consent decree, or a settlement, with the department to enact reforms.

Wells said Raoul’s office could also file a lawsuit to ensure the department is following reforms.

“The Department of Justice at the federal level have the ability to sue departments that were consistently violating people’s constitutional rights. We have that same authority to go into state court under state law and file that type of lawsuit,” Wells said.

He said usually police departments and cities find it is “much better to start trying to fix the problems as opposed to fighting the lawsuit in court.”

Raoul’s attorneys were asked at the meeting if his office plan to examine the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force, an agency that typically investigates police shootings in Will County. Wells said the investigation will review incidents of use of force and officer-involved deaths and how those are investigated.

“Whether or not it reaches the task force in of itself, we’ll have to see. We recognize that the task force is distinct from the Joliet Police Department but its also connected to investigations of misconduct,” Wells said.