The Cook County Board honored a Springfield man Feb. 29 as part of its Black History Month observance.
Robert Moore, the former U.S. Marshal for Central Illinois and current chair of the NAACP Illinois State Conference's Criminal Justice Committee, attended the board meeting in downtown Chicago for the recognition. The resolution in his honor was presented by Commissioner Scott Britton, a Glenview Democrat.
Moore and Britton have worked together in community dialogues between law enforcement and Britton's 14th District in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Of particular interest to Britton are the Ten Shared Principles that Moore helped to draft in a partnership the NAACP has with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
The Cook County Board previously had endorsed those 10 principles in a resolution in 2020. They have also been endorsed by the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, Springfield Police Department and all 26 police agencies in Sangamon County.
The 10 principles were written and promulgated to build trust between law enforcement and communities of color, particularly the Black community. The Ten Shared Principles encourage law enforcement and communities of color to share such values as treating everyone with dignity and respect, rejecting discrimination, and supporting de-escalation training. The principles also endorse reforms such as procedural justice, community policing and more diversity in police departments.
Since 2018, Moore has traveled to more than 30 Illinois communities to engage law enforcement and residents in conversations about their experiences. Many of these in-person gatherings occurred before the pandemic, but they are picking up again. Last month, Moore and others went to Harper College in Palatine at the invitation of the college, after leading a similar program at UIS and at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Springfield a few years ago.
Moore, appointed U.S. marshal by President Bill Clinton, served from 1994 until 2002. Prior to that, as an Illinois State Police trooper, he was the first director of ISP's Equal Opportunity Office and received recognition for successes in minority recruiting. He also served as deputy chief of police in Savannah, Georgia, and as chief of police in Jackson, Mississippi.
A native of Mississippi, Moore is currently working on his autobiography as he continues his advocacy of civil rights. Britton's resolution says Moore has left an "indelible mark" on his district, in Cook County and throughout Illinois.
The recognition from the Cook County Board adds to a list of prestigious awards that Moore has enjoyed. Those include the Rotary Paul Harris Award and the University of Illinois Alumni Humanitarian Award.
Ed Wojcicki is the retired executive director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and a retired UIS administrator and journalist.
