The Elgin Police Department today (Thursday, March 22, 2018) released to the public video footage of the March 12, 2018, incident in which DeCynthia Clements, 34, was fatally shot by an Elgin police officer.

The incident occurred on I-90 between Beverly Road and IL Route 25 in Elgin. The department provided the videos and all evidence to the Illinois State Police, the agency presently conducting an independent investigation into the incident.

• One of the body-cam videos can be found by clicking this link.
• More video footage is available at cityofelgin.org/video312
• A summary YouTube video may be viewed by clicking this link.

Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda.

Upon conclusion of the review, the case will be presented to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. When this combined process is complete, which is expected to take several months, the department will conduct its own review to determine whether officers on the scene followed department policies and procedures.

In a news release, Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said the department decided to move forward with releasing the videos in an effort to provide answers to family and loved ones of Clements, as well as to the community.

The public release of more than 30 hours footage from the incident came on a day when Swoboda and members of his command staff held several briefings with Clements’ family members, community and faith leaders and elected officials.

Department command staff provided a summary of the incident, pertinent  video footage and answers to questions about the Department’s response.

DeCynthia Clements (CREDIT: Screenshot from Elgin Police Department summary video.)

“We understand very well that this incident has impacted our community,” Swoboda said. “We also understand that releasing this video footage, which can be very troubling to view, is one step we can take towards transparency and accountability. It is our goal to provide Ms. Clements’ family and the community with a factual narrative so we may all work toward healing.

“We are striving to strike a balance between the public’s right to know, the ongoing investigation into the incident, and of course, the needs of Ms. Clements’ family and loved ones.”

Since the incident occurred, many community members and Elgin residents have held peaceful demonstrations outside of the Elgin Police Department.

“We know that we can’t do our jobs effectively without support from the community we serve,” Swoboda said. “Every incident brings opportunities for us to learn and grow. While the family, department and community heal, know that we will continue to be transparent. We’ll continue to be accessible. And we’ll continue to invite members of the community to engage in ongoing dialogue with us as to how we can deliver public safety services that are always professional, effective and respectful.”

SOURCE: Elgin Police Department

Screenshot from body-cam video. (CREDIT: Elgin Police Department)