High School Students Tour CPD 7th District Strategic Decision Support Center and Have Discussion With District Leadership on Policing & Safety Challenges

 

High School Students Tour CPD 7th District Strategic Decision Support Center and Have Discussion With District Leadership on Policing & Safety Challenges 

Safe Streets Coalition Members wanted to review police technology and find ways to build partnerships between residents and public safety agencies 

High school student leaders who co-founded a grassroots safety coalition recently toured the Chicago Police Department 7th District Strategic Decision Support Center and engaged in a candid discussion with local district leadership. The group requested the meeting to gain a better understanding of the strategies, tactics and technologies the Chicago Police Department uses to combat the epidemic of gun violence. 

After hearing of the students request for a conversation and tour, Commander Rodney Hill of the 7th District, offered to host the members of the Safe Streets Chicago Coalition at the Englewood facility. 

“We felt it was important to see firsthand and understand how the Chicago Police Department responds to violent crimes in our community,” said Brandon Lenore, Director of Arcs (Student Programs and Community Partnerships) with Urban Prep Academies, who is mentoring the youth as they develop the coalition. “Our Coalition was pleased to learn how technology is used in real-time and police can instantaneously detect gunfire, track suspects, and dispatch emergency resources to save lives and address the violence in a matter of minutes. It was an eye-opening experience that will help inform our campaign as we continue to forge stronger relationships with police and call for greater investments in these tools to push back on crime in our communities.” 

Students from Urban Prep Academies and Leo High School who helped co-found the Safe Streets Chicago Coalition requested the tour as part of their work to forge stronger partnerships between the community and police and to advocate for the city to adopt more modern, innovative strategies in its public safety plan. 

In addition to reviewing how the officers at the Strategic Decision Support Center dispatch emergency response resources in response to gunfire detection or 9-1-1 calls for assistance, the students, Commander Hill and other district leadership had a candid discussion about the nature of public safety and community relations. 

“Not only did we learn how the department detects and responds to gunfire in our neighborhoods, but our youth members also had a candid conversation with the police that was mutually beneficial for both sides because nobody knows our blocks better than we do,” said Tiffany Harston, Director of Post Secondary Planning at Leo High School and another educational leader of the Coalition. “Our members and the police live and work every day in the communities most impacted by crime and rampant gun violence, and we all want the same thing, safe streets free from gun violence and crime. Changing attitudes and perspectives won’t happen overnight, but we need to continue to build lasting community partnerships.” 

In 2021, Chicago recorded over 800 homicides, the most the city has seen in 25 years. Over 90 percent of the fatalities were the result of gun violence, and 80 percent of the victims were Black, according to Chicago and Cook County data. 

Student coalition members meet on a weekly basis at their respective schools to create strategies for recruiting new members to the coalition, building their social media following on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. They also discuss ways to collaborate with police and public officials to generate more support for greater investments in public safety technology, such as cameras and gunshot detection tools, and for building stronger relationships between police and the residents who are most impacted by gun violence. 

Community members who want to join can sign up at https://tinyurl.com/yc2n9eam. 

  

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