HR0500 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0500 LRB097 12944 GRL 57445 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate and applaud the members of the National Black Police Association (NBPA) for their work in the communities of the State of Illinois and the nation at large; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA was chartered as a not-for-profit corporation in the State of Illinois following a historic meeting in St. Louis, Missouri in November of 1972; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA was established to improve the relationship between Police Departments as institutions and the minority communities; to evaluate the effect of the policies and programs within the Criminal Justice System upon the minority community; to serve as a mechanism to recruit minority police officers on a national scale; to work toward police reform in order to eliminate police corruption, police brutality and racial discrimination; and to educate police officers to perform with professionalism and compassion; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA supports the philosophy of community policing that calls for a true cooperative partnership between the community and the police for safer communities; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA believes the influx of hard narcotics into this country can only be controlled by a joint effort between the supplying country and the federal government; the organization also supports the allocation of more national and local crime fighting resources toward the prevention of crime and opposes the application of the death penalty in all instances; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA supports national handgun legislation that prohibits the continued manufacture of handguns and limits their sales, possession, and use; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA devotes itself to the confrontation, control, and elimination of police brutality in every police department in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA seeks to create a level playing field in law enforcement through the support of numerous measures, including residency requirements for officers, equal hiring and promotion standards for female officers and applicants, and the elimination of historical, institutional, and societal barriers that denied criminal justice practitioners of color and women equal access and opportunity; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA supports federal legislation that prohibits the egregious practice of racial profiling and supports legislation that holds the governmental entity, its police department, and the offending officers liable for violating the civil rights of citizens; and

WHEREAS, The NBPA supports the creation and support of youth mentoring projects that have core values to empower our youth and shield them from embracing negative media-imposed images, government-inspired legislation, and criminal justice policies and practices that criminalize and desensitize them about the value of life, particularly life in the black community; and

WHEREAS, The members of the NBPA serve as models of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate and applaud the members of the National Black Police Association for their work and wish them continued success in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the National Black Police Association as a symbol of our esteem and respect.