SE Illinois News

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) worries the worst may still be yet to come stemming from the SAFE-T Act and the passage of House Bill 3653.

“House Bill 3653 cleared the House by the slimmest possible majority and in the lead-up to the session that saw its passage, House Republicans warned that the massive changes contained in the act would lead to reduced public safety and the decline of the ability of police officers to do their jobs,” Windhorst said at a Jan. 5 news conference about the bill that passed despite opposition from Republicans.

 “We warned that our state was already seeing an increase in the violent crime rate after two decades of decline from the mid-1990s to the mid-2010s and that these changes would lead to further increases in crime," he said. "We warned that the future end of cash bail will increase repeat offenders and cause major police and public safety concerns we have seen from other prior bail reform efforts. We warned against producing legal protection for police officers and allowing unlimited anonymous complaints against police officers. We also warned these changes would significantly reduce police morale and harm recruiting and retention efforts.”

In the same year that House Bill 3653 passed, ending the state’s cash bail system and enacting changes touted as promoting greater police accountability, McCombie points out that 17% of Illinois sheriffs made the decision to retire early.

“As the 2022 spring session gets underway, we are here today to urge our Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate and Gov. Pritzker to change the direction they are taking this state when it comes to law enforcement and the criminal justice system,” she said. “As policies passed by the general assembly and signed by the governor have taken effect, we have seen the job of law enforcement officers become more dangerous and harder to do. Criminals are acting more emboldened than ever before and repeat offenders are being let out of jail with little to no cash bail. We need to reflect on the rise in violent crimes and ask why are these things happening.”