-

LlGmxce
Village of La Grange
53 S. La Grange Road, La Grange, lL 60525
lagrangeil.gov

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR PUBLIC RECOROS

To Patch.com
Attn: David Giuliani
david.qiuliani@patch.com

On 2022, the Village of La Gran8e received your written request

--Eg.b4!ry14-
for inspection, copying, or certification ofthe following Village public records:
See attached rider

1. Decision on Request

Your request is approved in its entirety.

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request is denied are identified in section 6 below.
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Copies ofthe following public records willbe:
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Your request is denied as to the following records or redaded information contained in those
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willi m See and the invest vided
the lllinois Freedom of lnformation Act

A. Responsible official. The Villa ge's FOIA Officer is the official responsible for this denial

B. Notice of Right to Review bv lllinois rnev General. You have the ri ght to file a
request for review of your request and this Notice of Denial by the Public Access
Counselor of the Office of the lllinois Attorney General. The Public Access Counselor
may be contacted at 500 South 2nd Street, Springfield, lllinois 62706, or by telephone at
(217)558-0486.
c. Notice of Rieht t! ludlelaL Bc! lu. Under Section 11 of the lllinois Freedom of
lnformation Act, 5 ILCS 140/11, you have the right to seek judicial review of this denial.
The Village cannot advise or represent you in this matter. You should consult your own
legal counsel.

D. Justification for Denial Your request is being denied with respect to the specified
records because the specified records are exempt from disclosure pursuant to the
lllinois Freedom of lnformation Act for the following reason or reasons (references are
to sections ofthe Act):

_x_ The records are private information. 5 2(c-5), q7(1Xb)

Applies to Unique identifiers co ined within resoonsive documents

x Disclosure of the records would constitute a clearly unwaraanted invasion of

personal privacy. 51, $7(1)(c)

Applies to Hiehlv oersonal information cont ined within resoonsive documents

The records were created in the course of administrative enforcement

proceedings, or for law enforcement purposes, and disclosure would:
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enforcement proceeding by the Village. S 7(1XdXi)
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interfere with active administrative enforcement proceedings by the
village.9T(1)(d)(ii)
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information provided by the confidential source, or the identity of
persons who file complaints with or provide information to
administrative, investigative, law enforcements or penal agencies.
S7(1)(dXiv)
Applies to U nique identifiers contained within resoonsive documents

disclose unique or specialized investigative techniques other than those

generally used and known, and disclosure would result in demonstrable
harm to the Village. 97(1)(d)(v)
Applies to
endanger the life or physical safety of any person. 57(lXdXvi)
Applies to: lnformation contained within responsive documents
obstruct or interfere with an active or ongoing criminal investigation by
the Villa8e. 57(lXdXiv), Sz (lXdXvii)
Applies to:_
The records are preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda, or
other records in which opinions are expressed or policies or actions are
formulated. ST(1)(f)
Applies to lnformation contained within responsive documents

Dated: March 1 , 2022

Method of Service: email

VillaBe of La

Signed
cer
 L,l GnaxGE Por,lcE DTpIRTMENT
Memor andum
From Robert Wardlarv. Chief of Police

Date: february 15.2022

Re: Citizen Complaint z0il -17 420

CONDUCT IN SUMMARY

On December 20. 2021 at approximately 2ll6 hours. School District 204 held a board nreeting in the
Rebar Center of Lyons Torvnship High School North Campus located at 100 N. Brainard Ave. ln
anendance u'as Mr. William See.

On Dccember 23- 2021 I met rvith Mr. See in a conference room of the police department. Mr. See
alleged that after being asked to leave by a school board ntember. La Grange Police Oftlcer Jin "Wang"
Kang grabbed his right arm and said "Let's go or )'ou rvill be arrested." Mr. See funher alleged that as he
starred to rvalk. Ofc. Kang held his right arrn. Olc. Kang then started to jab him in his back region. Mr,
See expressed this rvas the same tlpe of move that the military specializes in usin.q. Mr. See
-- arm. u'hich Ofc. Kang grabbed. became bruised: horvever. tvrr.
Additionall;". Mr- See's indicated his
See advised . Furthcr, Mr. See alleged that Ofc. Kang
and assisting Officer Kevin Comstock were hired by the District and were doing "Dirt" u'ork for the
District.

Mr. See rvithout promotirts. shorved his chest and backto me. Mr. See
Asrvellhepointedtohisbackregionrr,hereitrvasalIeged
that he rvas struck by Otc. Jtn Kang. I ord not observe an1'signs of trauma to Mr. See's back. Mr. See
declined to shorv the bruising to his right arm
G See original memorandum for fulldetails.

It should be noted the Mr. See referred to Jin Kang as Jin "Wang". Jin Kang's proper title is lnvestigator
as such he ruill be refurred under that title moving forward.

The lnvestigation lvas tumed over to lnv. Sgr. Patrick Fulla. Sgt. Fulla revierved video obtained from the
school and additionalll, inten,ierved several District 204 Board members along with audience members.
No member of the District Board or audience stated that lnv. Jin Kang or SRO. Kevin Comstock used
force outside rvhat the1, described as being normal to escort someone. The officers' actions rvere
described as being calm, gentle. while giving clear orders/commands. Mr. See's actions rvere described as
bei n g d isru ptive. d isparagin g. con fiontationa l. aggressive. and d ramat ic.
After revierving all the information obtained. I conclude that lnv. Kang and SRO. Comstock did not
violate polices and acted rvithin the scope of their duties. Both lnv. Kang and SRO. Comstock used
reasonable attempts to deescalate Mr. See while trying to escorr him offschool property after being told
to leave by School District 204 personnel. I find the complaint against Inr,. Jin Kang and SRO. Kevin
Comstock to be Unfounded as per La Crange police policy 1019.

Chief of Police
 Village Of LaGrange
Police Department
I
Memorandum

To: Chief Robert Wardlarv

From: Sgt Patrick Fulla

Date: 021422

Re: Citizen Complaint/Use of Force Review of Incident 2021- 1742{r

On l2i l Tl2l- . rcquested to

speak with an officer prior to the Board Meeting on 12120,'21. (lhiei ['ardlarv reconrmended that
.- speak w'ith Inv Kang. Inv Kang met with . tz- on 12/?0121 at
approximatell.' l300hrs. Based upon statements from I r and Inv Kang there lvas no
mention of potential problems at the meeting nor specitic indir iluals.

On 12120121 at l830hrs. Inv Kang and Ot'c Comstock *ere rssigned 1;r ihe L5 ons Tor+nship High
*, School - School Board Meeting. This meeting was a regularl,v- sclrcdulcd meeting. LTHS
had recentll'begun to requesi thc p:'ese n;e of Police Oflicers at the
meeting due to concerns over atieidees. In the past. Chief Cates had spoken $,ith
advisin-c that the Police Officers capacitl,rvould be t,-r harc a visua! presence however. routine
security measures were the responsibilitl'of LTHS securitl. The Bl:ud N,leeting-rrr. included an
executive session held prior to the meeting being open to the pub ic. I he Executive Session nas
held in the Board Room prior to the attendees walking to the Reber ilentcr and beginning the
public session of the meeting.

The meeting began at approximatell, l930hrs. Public attendees oItl:e mecting signed in rvith
LTIIS employees prior to entering the Reber Center. At tlrat tinre. atiendees were advised they
would have to si-tn up in order to speak at the public comjrlenls sessii.rn. I'he public comments
u'ould be held to the end of the meetins as thev rvere last on the ase:rtla.

Prior to the Comments Board President Kari Dillon atlvised o1'the 3r*rd of Education's limit of
time and rules regarding of participation under policr' #830 lbr eacjr rf public spealier. These
rvarnings can be heard at l:38:00 on the video ofthe meeting
'Ih:rc lr'crc a total ofeleven speakers
in the non-agenda item comment secrion. The first nine speakers ri.ould adhere to the time and the
rules set lbrth b1'-

At l:54:33 of thevideo. William See has his opportunity to speak. See is at the rnicrophone at the
fiont ol'the Reber Center on the right side of the stage rvhcrr' the lloar.d lr4embers are seated. The
Board faces See rvith See's back to the audience as the microphone is in front of the first row of
 seats. See begins his comments and at l:54:10 See nrakes a staremcnr rvhich Dillion advises is
disparaging. See apologizes and continues. At l:55:42. Sec reaches inio a bag in the second row
of seals and is seen searching in the bag before removing an item. See b*gins to show the audience
an item and advised See that his time is up.- I also asked See to leave
and stated "if you don't leave in the next ten seconds, 1'ou u'ill t,e in r,ir,lation of trespassing. See
turns to engage the audience and is speaking directly towarCs the audier.rce instead of the utilizing
the microphone. At l:56:00. .r-r r advises See "we do not ailow personal disparaging
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comments and I am going to ask you to leave the auditoritrn right irou'and if 1'ou don't leave right
now you will be in violation of trespassing." See asks horv he u'as disparaging at which time, >
.- gets up from his seat and walks touards See. See askr; ''ho',r did I trespass?" During
this time. it rvas noted that See made no effort to leavc the prenrise. The public microphone was
also rumed off.

At I :56:19. Inv Kang could be seen approaching See. At I : j6:2i. Dillc:: is heard saying "that's it
Mr See you may' leave now". Irrom the time Inv Kang enters canlera r iew until the camera pans
in at l:56.,24. lnv Kang is obsened talking to See with no indication of physical force. The Btard
moi€s on ruith their meeting hou'ever. a raised voice can be head in thc background. At l:57:10.
a voice consistent rvith See's can be heard yelling "get r,our lranis offol'me. Leave me alone. You
can't touch me. Leave me alone. ['m leaving. I am going. cu,. you hriir me.
Ieave me alone." See makes more statements but they are iraudible. See is lasl heard on video at
l:57:40.

Chief Wardlarv previously secured the above referenct-.d r,itleo irs rvell r-s security video from the
night in question.
was for the publication of the meeting via the You'tube trlrrtfornt. I personally q'ent to the
Reber center to conurrn - .1e video provided are the
'only cameras I found '*'hich rvould have captured the events. Due ic tlle camera man (an LTHS
employee) narrorving the field of vierv. some of the cvents were nor :lithin view. It should be
noted that even if the field of r.iew rvere not narro\r€d, the nrajoritl',li'events in question would
not have been in vieu,as they happened towards the back ol'the Reber Center.

On l2l23l2l. See came to the lobby of this Department ancl reques,ed ro speak wirh Chief
Wardlarv. Chief Wardlarv u'ould cornplete a memorandum of saiJ rnecting and statements made
by See. Due to See's slatements. it rvas determined that no llrther'firllc*.up would be made lrith
See and that Chief Wardlaw had documented See' conrplairrt. Set' (lhicf'Wardlau"s memo.

On l/61?2.1 contacted and requested 1o speak rvith hinr about this incident.
rr agreed to speak rvith me in his office on
l/7!22 at l430lrrs. I learned that l
had attended the meeting and was there for its entirety. r stated he had previousll'
-
been advised by Chief Cat€s that members of this Departnrent *'ould art*nd the meeting to provide
avisualpresence.ewasawarethatshouldar,iolatir:nolrhetrespassingIarr,occur.
a member -
of the Board or School *ould have to provide u'arning to thr.'cfTender prior to the Police
becoming involved in the incident. stated he and lrv Kanl; discussed the police role
as bcing prcscllt atrd ntaintuin a salc cnviro1ment for thc nreeling. rr-r r requestcd that
the officers sland in the back of the auditorium in order to naintain the safe environment. It was
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further discussed that should assistance be required that officers wc'uid be able to assist at the
request ofthe school board or le
:t described the events previously described. stated he was the person
rvho advised See that he needed to lear,e and that if he did not that See rvould be trespassing. He
stated that he walked up to See in order to provide the dialogue that Se* ,.ras continuing to trespass.
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See continued to speak torvards the audience and not the board. See r* as observed reaching into
his bag and making no attempt to leave the meeting as pr:r,iously rv:uned. Inv Kang and Ofc
Comstock were present in the meeting and clearl!, identifiable ar police officers.
recalled hearing both officers advise See that he had been told to leave and the officers asked See
to leave. See rvas asked "please leave on your own" i:s uell as "rlcasc gather your belongings."
As See and the oftjcers were approaching the rear of the Reber Center. See u,ent to-l turn around at
which time the officers placed their hands on See's bacl,ls:rourldr:rs in a. guiding manner. At no
time did I d witness either officer strike See. Sec began J'clii:rg "you are hurting me. I
have a heart condition". There rvere 47 people in attendance at the mee: ing. rrrr would
have his assistant provide tr.r'o documents which were sign in sheels ft r the event as rvell as the
email addresses for the members of the board and participants o:r lhe strr;3e.

On 1110122. I received an enrail from s'ith thc contaci i,tforntation for the School
Board Memebers and the staffof Ly'ons Toutrship High School $&o aitgnd the meetings and are
seated on the stage as part of their rcsponsibilities. Inten,iervs $ere c,)nducted rvith each of the
members and employees. Thel'are as fbllo*'s:
-

During my revierv of the video in this matter" I did identi$ one additio'rtitl person who was seatecl
on the stage. 'r-. is a student at LTHS and aJuvenile. It uas determined that juveniles
rvho may have been rvitness to this incident would onlv be inren iewed in the event of a
discrepancy in statements,

I rvould subsequently schedule interviervs rvith each of the memtrens $n rhe list. 'fhere were minor
variations in the statements. rvith some individuals not in a place to obscrve the offrcer's actions
or hear their statement's to See. The u'itnesses would make statenrents such as the officers
"rernained calm", rvere -'incredibly professioilal". "remained calm did not even raise a voice", and
were "highly professional and responsive". ,. stated that when the officers placed hands
upon See his response of yelling that he was being hurt was nor ccnsistent u'ith what she was
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observing. AII described lnv Kang's and Ofc Comstock's actions as inat of a person rvho rvas
"guiding" or "ushering" someone out of the event. Every inten'ierr resuited in each witness statin=
that they never saw'Inv Kang nor Ofc Comstock strike See. The rviLnesses\tho were in position
to observ'e See exit the Reber Center, stated that it appeared the ollicers stopped guidinlushering
See at the back exit of the Reber center. i did advise that the meetings had been
-------lr---.--.t--n,-.-in r .r n I
irioved irom ihe ijoard Koom io tire Reber Center ciue to incrcaseci attendance and people becoming
more vocal u'ith current events. In the Board Room. ihe public rvas slmding directly behind the
-
board members during the meetings. When.describing the meeting irr question.
noted that See was turning around. reaching into his bag and causing snrne members to feel unsafe.

Under the video flle labeled Reber 4 - Reber - I-Iall. at 0:07:52. See e:,its thc center followed by
Inv Kang, Ofc Cornstock and L-THS Security I noterl that r.vhen See qyits he is
rvalking on his oun. Inv Kang and Ot'c Comsttock are follilving See and are not seen u'ith their
harlds on See. See is obsereved atA:07.52 bending over ard placing his ba-9 on the ground. See
then puts his jacket on by placing his right hand into the jacket. ru:ning nis torso ro reach back for
the left arm o[the jacket and placing the left arm lhrough rhe jacket. See then retrjeves his bag
-.
fiom the flor:r u'ith no apparent issue and exits the carnera i.ieu intr: the east stainvell. Both Inv
Kang and Ofc Comstock are see'n speaking with See horvcvcr th;i. anns appear to remain bv their
sides.

Under the video tile labeled Reber - gMain Entrance Panorama at 0: l3 :19, See is observed exiting
into the stairwell for the main entrance. See is carrying his black bag iri his left hand. The bag is
moving forward and backward u'ith See's gait. See is walking at a nornral pace when a reporter,
rvho u'as identified as approaches from behind. SeL" stc,ps suddenly and immediately
turns to speak with 1r-. See appears to speak w'ith as the tu'o walk down the stairs
lbllowed by Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock.
-
-
Under the video file labeled Reber Main Entrance llxit 5 (Prmo) at 0:13:52, See is observed
walkingdownthestairswith_isseenusirrgth.ehar:cIrailforbaIance.Seeis
observed carrying the black bag in his right hand w'hich is closesr to the hirndrail. See does not use
the handrail for balance nor is he observed walking in a matter rvhich would indicate a recent
injury. At 0:14:00. See turns back to look towards Inr. Kang tu,isting his torso and his ieck when
doing such.

Under the video file labeled Reber 4 - Main Entrance - Ertcrior at 0:09.06. Sce is seen exiting the
building rvhile speaking with See turns to look tt e rvhrlt. l'alking down the several

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stairs. See's gait appears to be normal rvith no obvious sign of injur]' prL'\'enting See's movement.
See is last seen in camera vierv at 0:09:17 on the video. l)urilg the r-evier.t'of the video I was
unable to establish the exit times of the video other than their re-trettced recording time.

I was able to locate

rvho w8s rvorking on the evening in quesiidff advised
r

that he b ; thal evenin-e and nasalone. He rvas not

present tbr the beginning of the incident but did walk in to obsene See - escorted from the
being
meeting. stated he obsened Ofc Comstock grab ahold ol'u'hat he recalled rvas the
left arm of See. did not see Ofc Comstock do anything trr Sce's arm other than placing
-)
his hand on it and escort See from the center.
-
upon . being a reporter and speaking rvith See. I conCucted an internet search for an
Based
- -
aflicle regarding this incident. I have attached the article io this ntento. The article rvas dated
l2l28l2l. The article shorvs a picture of See by the microphone while lacing Inv Kang and Ofc
Comstock. The caption tbr the image states "Two LaGrange police ollieers ask William See to
leave the North Campus Reber Center after LTHS board and
ordered him out for makirrg 'disparagirtg' comments."lB0B
SKOLNIKlContnbutor. The article goes on to say that Se,: "was interrupted and remol'ed from
North Campus Reber Center by tuo LaGrange police oificers duri,rg the public comment."
police officers assigned to --
the meering t,,ld See he had to leave and
-rpwrote "Tuo LaGrange
threatened to handcuflhim if he didn't. Police did not arrest See." Thcre \Yere no other refcrences
to Inv Kang and ofc Coilstock in the article. I noted ' tnade no mcntion of force used
against See though o'- is obsened on video rvalking
- towards thc back of the Reiber Center
fJllowin-e See ant Inv Kang. is also seen follorving Scc. lnr Kang and Ofc Comstock as
they exit the Reber Center and out of the building.

Also identitied as having rvitnessed this incident lvere

of L. Bo:h rr and
are knovtn members ofthe community who regularly attend com'n ,rnity' rrieetings as self-described
communitl'activists. I spoke rvith each of them separately $'u pltone, they both described Inv Kang
and Ofc Comstock as attemPting to de-escalate See and esco:t hitn out. )rrle \\'fls described as being
disrespectful with the offrcers remaining calm. Both !E and t ad'ised they heard a
trespassing warning being given to See. They stated See has -
att:rdei ll:etings in the pasl

One of the speakers at the meeting was

advised she
had attended the meeting in its entirety. She described See as lcoliing ttround and speaking to the
audience instead of the board. See was asked lo leave by the boanl and dre officers walked up and
asked as rvell. : described the officers as patient and up to See slorvly. Whilc
"rr*ll,"ing
walking to the back of the center, See tumed back torvards thc br:ard, i.he officers placed a hand
- "escort" See to the back ofthe center. See began
upon each arrn to yelling "what are you doing?
Ouch". -ra described Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock's actions as cal:n and gentle- She further
described them as being "delicate" u'hile See appeared "to be looking lirr attcntion."
 There were no additional witnesses identified to the er.ents in the hallra,ay other than
and b Based upon the sign-in sheets and statements nrade during the previously mentioned
intervieu's. I was able to identifu several witnesses fronr the audience. I conducted intervie\.vs with
the follorving people:
-

lwas at
the meeting for personal reasons. spoke during the public conlments section and knerv
of See fnrm previous meethgs. See was described as being disruptive in the pasr as he was at the
meeting in question. -
described See as being aggressivc and hostile. She recalled See
being advised to leave or he w,ould be anested for trespass. . observed two officers
-
"escorting" See out of the meeting. When asked if either of the officers were obserr,.ed striking
See. Iaughed saying "r1o u,av". E -
: sated she lreard tir,: officer tell See that he
u'ould not be handcuffed. [f he resisted and did not leave. then the oflicer stated he would handcuff
See. -
--- - !! ! ! - was at the nreeting
for personal reasons. She attended the meeting rvith 1n,J u.as there fbr the entiri
meeting. did not know an1'of the people involved in the in,:ideni. She described the initial
incident as- described in previous statements. See was describetl rs being "disruptive and
aggressive." Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock's actions -were descrbei! as ''nothing more than
escorting" See oul of the room. -'D further adviseel that See's actio:'rs rvere dramatic. As See
tried to engage an attendee the officers continued to escon See out ul'the Reber Center.
stated that is when See became more dramatic stating . i a.- ' did not feel
the officer's actions w€re unprofessional nor excessive.
-
IspokewithInvKang'whostatedhehadhadmetr6|1[Qatlj00hrsonthedayin
question. The tu'o discussed the previously established policv that tire police rvere not at the
meeting to enforce the mask mandate. relayed that he k.nciv he rvould have to issue
a trespass rmming and ask aq1'one to leave in that situation. lnr'Iimg asked if there were any
anticipatedissuesforthemeetingand*astoIdno.Theycliscusl;eduiiform56dG
r*as advised that Ofc Comstock would be in unitbrm while Inv Kang rrould be clearly identifiable.
-
was in agreement with the Oft Comstock in unitbrm whilc Inv Kang rvould not wear
one. The meeting lasted approximately l0 minutes and no nanes or melition of See was ever made
by-rr
-rr l
Inv Kang advised that he rvas in the back of the Reber Center when the incident began. c
r- advised See that he would need to leave thc mcetin-s. also advised that
See rvould be arrested fbr Trespassing if he did not leave fie meeting. At rhis point, Inv Kang
u'alked up to See rlith Olt Comstock behind him. The two wouid ''esc(,rt" See from the area. Inv
Kang described See as cooperating rvith .- -r
oroer to t:ave irtrt stated See w'as stalling.
While walking to the rear of the center. See would tr1' siopping anel talking to people in the
audience.
At this point, lnv Kang stated he placed his arm upon See's upper le:i ann. lnv Kang stated this
was more of an ushering/guiding gesture. Inv Kang further stated that h"'did not apply force other
than u,hat u,as describsd as a "guiding hand". Inv Kang dirl not feel See should be arrested as he
felt that See continued to walk the line of cooperating rvith the ordcr t.'r leave the premise rvhich
had been given by and the School Board. He stated that fie guiding of See uas done
in a f-ashion that has been done to guide previous subjects rvho *ere askcd to leave but u'ere trying
to delay the process. This was done in an effort to keep See moving ri'ithout a bigger problem
-
developing in rvhich See would be arrested.

I also spoke rvith Ot'c Comstock. Oft Comstock stated he rvas in anendance at the meeting when
advised that See was being asked to leave and a failure lo leave rvould constitute
trespassing. As . began to approach See. Ofc ('omstock ullked from the back of the
Reber Center tov,'ards See. Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock birth began ttr verbally request that See
leave rhe meeting. Ofc Comstock stated they were walking v itlr See when members of the
- -
audience began to make statements u'hich See was reacting to and srailing to stop. Rather than
having the incident escalate. Ofc Comstock placed his hand upon See's back and arm in a guiding
manner. Oft Comstock did not feel an arrest was warranted at that tinre. \\ihen Ofc Comstock.
Inv Kang and See were at the back of the Reber Center. All physical contact ceased as See exited
the building on his ou,n. Oft Comstock *ould observe that Sec was leaving and would retum
immediately to the Reber Center tbr a concern that people in the audicnce. who were w'ith See.
ma)'cause an additional disruption to:he meeting.

the follorving is documentation of LGPD Policies Revie"'ved relatEd '.o LGPD incident 2O?l'
17420 (Disturbance). The intbnnation contained herein \\'as rblained lic,m revierving LTHS Board
Meeting Youtube Video. School Suneillance video and iuten'iews *ith the officers involved.
School Board Attendees. LTHS emplovees. and citizens itt attend;mce.

Policy 300.1.1 Definitions

Force - The application of physical techniques or tactics, chemic*l agents, or weapons to

another person. It is not a use of force *'hen a pet'sor allows him/herself to be
searched, escorted, h andcuffed, or restrained.

After revieu'ing the statements of the u,itness as u,ell as tire involvei :larlics, I did not find an
indication that force was applied. The officer statements both indic.tt:d that See was guided in
order to prevent the situation from escalating. Video evidence. though :ntmediately after the fact.
supports that See made no indication of nor exhibited any sign of injuri'. When intervierved by a
reporter. See made no statements of excessive force nor injury. A1l :;tatements in this matter
support tlrat See vi'as guided in manner r.r'hich would not rise to the lcrel of "force" as defined
rvithin Department Policy.

Policy 300.3 flse of Force

Officers shatl only use that amount of force that reasonably appear. n*."rr"ryj'given the facts
and circumstances perceived by the oflicer at the time of the event to accomplish a legitimate
larv enforcement purpose.
 Though by detinition. Ofc Comstock's and Inv Kang's action don'l rise to the lelel of "fclrce",I
revierved their actions against rhis policy. Based upon the olficer sutements. *'itness statements
and the actions of the officers captured on video, the oflic*rs engaged in a course of conduct to
keep See moving so that the situation rvould not escalate. "l-he.r uscd lerbal techniques to speak
with See in an attempt to have See leave on his orvn accord. 'this is evident by the LTHS video
r.r'hen he grabs his belongs to leave. Inv Kang can be heard advising Sec of the fact he needed to
leave. When See is obsen'ed on security video after exiting the Relrer Center, See is observed
being given ample time to finish gathering his belongings and exit the building on his own accord.
The video further suppofls the fact that no tbrce was used against See. See can be seen turning his
torso while walking and walking without assistance. Nothing obsened ir: the video would support
See's claim that he was injured. Furthermore. I have not identified a single witness who stated
force was used against See.

Policy 300.3.6

When Circumstances reasonably permit, officers should use nc,c-viotent strategies and
techniques to decrease the intensiQ- of a situation, improve dccision-making, improve
communication, reduce the need for force, and inerease voluntan compliance (e.g.
summoning additional resources, formulating a plan, att€mpting verbal persuasion).

Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock both stated that they "escorted'' or "guided" See in an attempt to keep
See moving rather than the situation escalate further. Wirness st?tereilis inclicated that both Inv
Kang and Ofb Comstock both continued to talk to See in an attempt ttr ]tave See leave on his oun
accord. When See u'as attempt to engage a perscln in the audiencc ancl uling to continue his oun
cause. Ofc Comstock and Inv Kang initiated actions to guide or escort See. There '$/as no
indication b1'r,ideo nor statements that Ofc Comstock and lnv Kang did anything but continue to
use non-violent strategies in an attempt to decrease the intensity of thc situation.

Based upon this review. I lind no cause for a disciplinary ruconurendalion ltrr Inv Kang nor Ofc
Comstock. I believe the investigation has shou,n that Inv Kang and Ofc Comstock conducted
themselr,es within the policies of this Department as lrell as rvithir Srarc l-ari.

Conclusion:

I conclude \,vere no policy violations found during rhis revie',v. xothing further to report.

Sgt Patrick Fulla #233

 La GNANGE POT,ICE DBPNRTMENT
Memor andum
From: Robert Wardlaw. Chief of Police

Date: December 23.2021

Re Citizen Complaint
202t-r7420
t

On 122321 ar approximately 09l l hours. Mr. William See requested to speak with me (Robert
Wardlaw. Chiei of Police) in person regarding an incident at l-1'ons Torvnship l{igh School
(LTHS) involving tu'o La Grange Police Officers.

At approximately 0915 hours. I met rvith Mr. See in the front non-secured community room
locatei directl,v off the main lobby of the La Grange Police Station. Mr. See indicated that he
was a supporter of law enforcement and that he had family in lau' enforcement. He stated that
w.hat happened to him was wrong and that he did not want to hire an attorney or go to the media.
He also siated he heard form a family member in law enforcement that I rvas a standup guy and
tfiat I would look into horv these offrcers acted. I asked Mr. See if he rvas looking to file'a
complaint against La Grange Police Officers. IVIr. See indicated that he did u'ant to do so at this
timgand that he wanted to resolve the matter without getting larv-vers involved. I asked Mr. See
to explain.*'hat occurred and the follou'ing w"s leamed in summarl'-

Mr. See indicated that this past Mondal,'. December 20th. he attended an open school board
meeting at LTHS. He advised during the meeting he made comntents to some of the board
membeis eluding to them being "bobble heads". He advised they (board members) asked him to
leave. w,hich he uas in the process of doing. when trvo police officers told him to leave' Mr. See
advised he was hurry'ing as fast he cou ld: horvever.
'- As he continued to gather his items. one officer he
believes named "Wang" grabbed his right arm and said let's go or )'ou rvill be arrested. As Mr.
See started to rvalk as Oft. Wan-e held his right arm. Ofc. Wang started to jab him in his back
region. Mr. See indicated his right alrn was bruised rvhere Ofc. Wang grabbed his arm: however.
because
-
Mr. See indicated that OHMeng was ntrti
another officer rvho rvas not in a La Urange U tbrm. He felt that both officers were hired b-"- the
District and were doing *dirt" u,ork for the District. He further advised that Ofc. Wang u'as
getting paid and rvorking rvithout the police department knorving.
hand. With his right hand he motioned toruards his louer right back region indicating that is
u'here Ofc. Wan-e rvas jabbing at him. Mr. See asked if I was every in the military. which I
confimred that I rvas. Mr. See further asked if I rvas special forces. r.r'hich I informed him that I
was not. Mr. See advised that the jabbing move that Ofc. Wang used w'as the same type of move
that militarr' specializes in using. Mr. See demonstrated the jabbing motion and f noted the
fbllorving: Mr. See's right hand lvas partially closed. the palm w'as open: honever. his right hand
fingers were curved in*'ard. Mr. See keep his fingers cun ed insard w'ith his hand remaining
ridged and thrust his hand forw'ard and back from the elbow several tirnes. Mr. See indicated
Ofc. Wang struck him several times in this rvav.

. I noted that Mr. See's back did not show any signs of trauma
consistent with being struck. I did not see bruising. red rnarks or welts to Mr. See's back. I asked
Mr. See if I could see his right arm and photograph his injuries. Mr. See advised he
to shou, rne his arnt or be photograph
l noted
that Mr. See's mobilit.v* at the time of the inten,ierv did not seem to be impaired in any manner.

Mr. See asked rvhat rvas going to happen? I asked Mr. See again if he uanted to file a complaint
and he advised that he did not at this time. He rvanted this looked into rvithout gerring lairyers
-
involved. I informed Mr. See that the matter can be looked into u'ithout lawyers: how.ever. I rvas
asking he ['anted to file a lbrmal complaint a-eainst the ofticers. Mr. See advised he just *'anted
me to look into the matter and w'anted to knorv how long it n'ould take. I told Mr. See it was
dependent on video and being able to identifl' people in attendance of the board meeting to
arrange interviews. Mr. See asked if I could let him knorv something Monday.
Eand did not think he rvould live past Monday. I intbrmed Mr. See that I rvould follow-ip
w'ith him Monday: hon€ver, the investigation rvould not be complete by Monday. I stood up and
Mr' See stood up. I rvalked to the unsecured door leading form the community room to the front
Iobby- I held the door opcn for Mr. See as he rualked out. Mr. See asked again if I uould look
into the matter and contact him? I infbrmed Mr. See that I rvould follow-up u,ith him on
Monday. Mr, See the exited the building.

complaipt was brought to my attentron regarding the interactions of Ofc. Jin Kang and SRO.
Kevin Comstock with Mr. William See during the board meeting. I requested any surveillance
video and a copy of the board meeting lbr review. Additionally. I informed that
interv'ielvs of board members in attendance mav be necessarv.

---- forwarded a copy of $e link to the Dza4- Board Meeting

u I revieu,ed the board meeting and tbund that
a l:54:33 Mr. See approached the mi crophone and began speaking with the board
a l:54:10 A board member interrupts and informs Mr. See that he is making disparaging
comments
a l:55:22 A board member infomrs Mr. See that his time is up and that he needs to leave
the auditorium now. If you don't lear.e in the next l0 seconds 1.'ou u,ill be in violation of
trespass- Mr' See responds b1" asking u'h1,'. We do not allorv personally disparaging
commenls ond your askcd 1o lcavc the auditorium right llow atrd if y,ou du not leave you
will be in violation of trespassing. Mr. See starts talking and the miciophone is shur oJi
 oI :56: l9 Inv. Jin Kang walks in to Mr. See who is facing him and the audience. Inv. Kang
makes a motion with his lefl arm and hand to come tor.vards him. At the same time
another board member announces that Mr. See may leave now you don't reside in the
district. The camera then pans in to the board and Mr. See and [nv. Kang are no longer in
camera view.
The above times and commentar), are not verbatim and video and audio should be revier.red for
specifics.

On 122721 I obtained sun'eillance video from LTHS North Campus outside the Reber Center.
stairwells and front lobby and north side sidervalk. The videos r+ell placed on a USB along with
a copy of the You Tube Board meeting for sat'ekeeping. All items u'ere to be subsequently tender
over to Sgt. Patrick Fulla for his investigation into the complaint.

At approximatell. l5l1 hours. I met rvith Mr. See in the front non-secured community room
located directly off the main lobby of the La Grange Police Station. Mr. See asked fbr an update
in regards to his complaint. I informed Mr. See schoolboard video had been revierved: hou'ever.
the video did not capture the whole interaction which would require additional follow-up. Mr.
See started I had informed him that he would have an arswer today. I informed Mr. See that I
informed him that I tould follorv-up today'; hor,r'ever. due to a lack of video of the interaction it
u'ould require interviervs of multiple people in attendance which would take time. I also advised
Mr. See the holiday weekend impacted the process. I further inlbrmed Mr. See that due to the
amount of people in attendance it could take several weeks. Mr. See became upset and stated I
lied to him and that he would have to sue. I informed'Mr. See that the conversation tvas over and
that he \\-as to leave as I u,alked towards the unsecured door leading form the community room
to the front lobby.

Mr. See got up. walked to the door u,hich I held open and giarted to exit. Mr. See then tumed
around immediately, as I was closing the door and used his right foot to block the door form
being closed. I instructed Mr. See to remove his foot and leave immediatel)'. Mr. See exclaimed
that I lied to him and tumed an'a_v- w'alking towards the front doo,;'s while stating "Fuck you
Nazi".

I noted that Mr. See's mobility at the time of the second interv'iew did not seem impaired in any
manner. Further. I noted that Mr. See did not appear to be someone in danger of dying as stated
b1,' him in the inten'iew on 122321.

At this time, due to the unavailability of video of the complete interaction between La Grange
Police Officers Inv. Jin Kang and SRO Ker.in Comstock as well as the substantial claims by Mr.
See. an intemal investigational into the matter w'ill be conducted. Investigations Sgt. Patrick
Fulla will be assigned to conduct the inr'esti-eation. All finds w'ill be subsequently tender over to
me for review and final findines.

.-aa
 p LA GRANGE
POUCE DEPARTMENT
FIELD CASE REPORT
"
o. 2021-00017420

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242 Comstock 12t2112021 Coleman, Adam J 12t2U2021
OF

LPD Cas 2O2i-0OO17420 PaQe 1 OF 3

 LA GRANGE
POLICE DEPARTMENT *",, 2021-00017420
FIELD CASE REPORT

NARRATIVE

on 12J2Ol21lnv. Kang #246 and l, Ofc comstock rf242 were assigned to a special detail at Lyons
Township High School (LTHS) reference the School Board of Education meeting. The following occurred
in summary:

advised over the course of the previous LTHS Board of Education

me-ingstnere have been;ngry persons voicing theit concerns, occasionally with ala;;ning and
disturbing
-r- comments. The comments have led to the LTHS Board of Education to have concems for
their safety and the safety of other persons in attendance.

The LTHS Board of Education meeting began at approx 1900hrs, without incident. At approx 2020h8,
various petsons began to share their thoughts and comments on matteE peltaining to LTHS and the
Boad of Education. After several other peEons had shared their comments, a M/W later identifted as
William F. Se6 .- (Suspect #1)began to speak. William continued until a Board of Education member
advised William was making "disparaging" comments directed towads Superintendent Wateman and
the comments would not be toterated. William continued speaking until SuPedntendent Waterman
advised William to leave the auditorium or he would be arrested for tresPassing, William did not leave
but continued talking about something to the effect of how there had been two suicides (at LTHS). Inv.
Kang and I approached William and advised William to leave or he would be anested. William replied he
nJed to gather his belongings. I allowed William to gather his b€longing and he began to tum towards
the exit; however, william stopped walking and began to yell something about "are you going to arrest
me?" I advised William to leave or I would arrest him for trespassing. William did not immediately walk
out, thus I grabbed william's right forearm with my left hand and placed my right hand on his right
shoulder and escorted William to tho exit. William began shouting about something to the effect of how
i however, no control tactics or use of force occur€d beyond holding William's a]m
and walking with him out of the auditorium for approx fifty feet. Upon reaching the double doors to exit
the auditorium, I let go of William and he walked out on his own accotd with lnv. Kang following behind
to ensure William departed the LTHS property.

The r€mainder of the LTHS Board of Education meeting was conducted without incident with the mo€ting
-
ending at approx 2.l00hrs. advised LTHS would send william a No Trespass
Notice letter formally banning him from LTHS property, and thanked me and lnv. Kang for the promPt

Education meetings with William calling school ofticials "pedophiles." .- Provided mG with
the contact information William used to register for the Boatd of Education meeting, which is listed with
this case file.

on 12!22t21 I received an efiail from with a copy of the no trespass letter

-

242 Comstock 't2t2112021 Coleman, Adam J 't2t22t2021

2 aF3

LPO Case 2021{0017420 Pags 2 OF 3

 LA GRANGE
POUCE DEPARTMENT *", 2021-A0017420
FIELD CASE REPORT

HARRATME (continuation)

William was to receive; this letter is attached with this case fite.

Case closed, Matter of Record.

ffir=e ;Ai:
242 Comstock 12t21t2021
l-;;;,,n,
nc
Adam J 12t2212021

LPD Css€ ?021{0017420 Pag€ 3 OF 3

 LA GRANGE
POLICE OEPARTMENT ,-", 2021-00017420
FIELD CASE REPORT SUPPLEMENT

SUPPLEMENTAL NARR,AIIVE

"This is a supplcmontal report for #2021-17120 (Criminal Treapass / Unvuanted Subjoct)',

"This report should be read in conjunction with all of the other associated repofts under #2021-17420*
Purpose of this report: Criminal Trespass to Real Propeiy hvestigation

This report pertains to the following subjects:

1. SEe, William F. _
2.-
On 12120n021 at approximately 1845 hours, l, lnvestigator Jin Kang #246 and School Resource Officel
Kevin Comstock #242 were assigned to a board meeting at LTHS (North Campus - 100 South Br.inard
Ave). This board m.eting was open to public, which took place in the auditorium {Reber Center}.

SRO Comstock and I were stationary in the back of the auditorium during the board meeting. Thc board
meetingbeganbyschoolofficialsincluding_makingvariousannouncemant8onthe
frontstage regarding school .elatcd business. The announcements wrre being broadcasted using a
microphone system ard loud speakeE within the auditorium. The board mBeting then transitioned for
attendGes to give a speech once the school officials were done. I noted that attendees interested ln giving
a speech during the board meeting had to sign up with a school staff member pfior to entering the
auditorium. The speeches were given at the microphono locatcd towards front of the auditorium between
the frontstage and the public attendees, I heard one of the school offlcials announcing ruleslguidellnes for
the attendees whose signed up to give a speech. The school official began calling attendee's name to walk
up to the microphone to give their speech. I observed couple of attendees give a speech without an
incident.

The school ofticial then called Mr. See to give his speech at which time a MrW gubjecl was obsewed
walking up to the mierophone. Mr. Sse began his speech and spoke about facemask mandates in relation
to COVID-1g Pandemic. I recalled Mr. S6e using the word "Bobble heads" to refer school onicial member(s)
during his speech. I observed one of the gchool officials telling Mr. See over the microphone asklng him to
stop for making some disparaging comments. Mr. Soe apologized and continued with his speech while
holding some paper in front of him. I observed Mr. See turning his body towards the public attendees
during his speech. I obseded Mr. See retrieving an object out ot his bag. Mr. See tumad towardg the
public attendees while holding an object and it appeaied that he was trying to erplain what a "Bobble
head" was during his speech. I thon heard Dr. Waterman asking Mr. See to leave over the microphone.
'b announced that if Mr. See did not lsave, he would be in violation of trespassing.
also announced that making disparaging comment is not allowEd and asked llrr. See to leavc. n,lr. See
ignored Dr. Wateman's verbrl order to depart and continued his speach while tacing the public attendees.
-
SRO Comstock and I started walking towards the front as gave loud and clear verbal order
to Mr. See advising him to leave. I approached Mr. See as he was speaking to the public attendees without
making any efforts to leave. I ordered Mr. See to stop and to walk out with SRO Comstock and myself. I
told Mr. See that I did not want to have to place him under arest using handcuffs in front of people, Mr.
-
See then looked at my depaftment star on my vest carrier esking if I was with La Grange. I told him yes,
and Mr. See still did not male a effods to leave. Mr, See continued to s l,i to the ic attendees

246 Kang 'tzt20t2021 l=i,io, ,,,,,"* , 01t0312022

1a.

LPO Cas. Sur, 2021-CCO17!?0 Page , OF 2

 LA GRANGE
POUCE DEPARTMENT ,^*. 2021-00017420
W FIELD CASE REPORT SUPPLEiJIENT

SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE (contin uation)

when SRO Comstock and I both asked him to leave. I then grabbed his riqht sleeve and told him "Let's go"
because he showed no compliance to our verbal commands including r initial order to
leave. Mr. See was observed grabbing his belongings but he did not immediately leave at which time SRO
Comstock grabbed his right arm to escort him ofi the property. I grabbed Mr. See's upper left arm without
applying any prcssure at which time Mr. See began walking towards the exit. I imrnediately followed
behind Mr. See on his left side of his body with SRO Comstock being on- his right side. We ushered Mr. See
towards the exit and he appeared to be engaging with the public attendees. I heard Mr. See screaming for
an unknown reason as he was being ushered towards the exit. I ushered Mr. See by telling him "Let's go"
as ! ptaced my hand on his left arm and upper shoulder area. Mr. See exited the auditorium and he briefly
stopped in the hallway to gather his property. Mr. See turned towards me and asked if I believed in any of
the stuff and I gave no response to his comment. Mr. See then stated he understands that we were iust
doing our job and that his brother was a cop. Mr. See moved his right arm and stated you guys were
hurting my arm. llllr. See did not request for medical attention and there urete no obvious signs of visible
injuries on Mr. See. Mr. See grabbed his belongings and exited LTHS on his own without incident.

t remained by the entrance to ensure the departure of Mr. See. itrr. See stopped on the sidewalk and spoke
to an unknown MIW subject who was also in the attendance of the board meeting. I observed some of the
public attendees leaving the board meeting shortly after Mr. See departed the building. The public
attendees thanked us for removing Mr. See. lwas informed that Mr. See was being a "problem" in the
previous Board Meetings at LTHS.lwas also informed that Mr. See had called the LTHS schoolofficials
"pedophiles" in the last board meeting.

This agency had no prior contacts and we did not have any prior knowledge nor any information about tllr.
See untit this evening. The above actions taken by SRO Comstoek and I only pertained to the C*minal
Trespass Violation / lnvestigation. I did not use any control, pressure, striking tactics when Mr. See was
ushered out of the auditorium. The contact made during Mr. See's escort was to guide and direct him to
exit the LTHS propefi because he did not follow announcernent and our verbal
commands to leave.

No enforcement actions were taken upon Mr. See's departure of LTHS property.
-t
Case Closed. Matter of Record Only

245 Kang 12t20t2021 Fulla, Patrick E ail03t2a22

r'1i

LPo C63o Supp ?o2 1 -WA17 42O Psge 2 OF ?