The Illinois attorney general’s office will host a virtual town hall meeting Thursday discussing its investigation into the Joliet Police Department’s policing practices.
The Zoom town hall will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Residents must register online for the meeting. Questions may be sent to special.events@ilag.gov.
Earlier this month, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced an investigation into Joliet Police Department practices following the death of a Joliet man in police custody in 2020. The civil investigation was requested by Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk and members of the Joliet City Council five months after the death of Eric Lurry, when video of Lurry’s arrest was made public.
Image from a police video, two Joliet police officers attempt to remove what they say were bags of narcotics from the mouth of Eric Lurry during an arrest in 2020. (Joliet Police Department)
Thursday’s town hall meeting is one of multiple meetings the attorney general’s office will convene during its investigation.
“The upcoming town hall meeting with Joliet residents is one of many opportunities for members of the community to ask questions and learn about this investigation and how they can provide input,” Raoul said in a news release. He added that “public participation will be critical to preserving the independence and integrity of the investigation.”
Lurry died at Amita St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet 11 hours after his drug arrest. The Will County state’s attorney and the Will County coroner issued statements in July finding that Lurry died of an accidental drug overdose and that Joliet police officers were not at fault. The Will County state’s attorney’s statement came at the conclusion of an investigation by the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force into Lurry’s death.
The video of Lurry’s arrest sparked criticism and questions about Lurry’s death. The video shows an officer slapping Lurry and referring to him using an expletive. It also shows another officer using the end of a baton to remove bags of drugs from Lurry’s mouth as another officer holds Lurry’s nostrils closed for more than a minute.
The Will County coroner’s officer found that Lurry had concentrated levels of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine that were more than 10 times the lethal level. The coroner’s report noted that “multiple doses” of Narcan, a drug that reverses overdoses, were given to Lurry to no avail.
Though O’Dekirk and members of the City Council cited a specific case for the Illinois attorney general’s office to investigate, Raoul said his office would take a wider look at policing practices in Joliet. He also said this was not a criminal investigation.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul speaks after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed HB 3653, a sweeping criminal justice and police reform bill on Feb. 22, 2021 at Chicago State University. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
The Illinois attorney general’s office will conduct interviews along with public and private meetings with police officers, city officials, Joliet residents and other stakeholders, a news release from the Illinois attorney general’s office said. Investigators have met with community groups; O’Dekirk; Joliet Police Department leadership, including the department’s new chief, Dawn Malec; police union representatives; and the Will County state’s attorney’s office.
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