Officer Aréanah Preston was what every police chief should look for

A police officer salutes as the coffin carrying Officer Aréanah Preston’s body is taken out of Trinity United Church of Christ after her funeral on May 17. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times)

I woke up on May 6 to the news about the murder of off-duty Chicago Police Officer Aréanah Preston, 24, who was killed in Avalon Park. As I read the media reports, I was very saddened by this tragic loss of not only a Chicago police officer but an outstanding individual and someone who wanted to have influence in law enforcement. 

Officer Preston grew up in the city. Her college professor stated she stood out in class as ambitious and professional, and she wanted to advance. She was homegrown, educated locally, female, young, African American, and stayed in the community she served — that should mean something to every Chicagoan.