A controversial criminal justice reform bill officially went into effect on Sunday, with the exception of a key provision suspended by a court at the last minute, which will make significant changes to the way law enforcement handles crimes. crimes in the state.
Illinois’ Safety, Accountability, Justice and Fairness-Today (SAFE-T) Act went into effect Sunday, though a key part of the bill, which eliminates cash bail in the state, was halted when the Supreme Court illinois issued a stay at the last minute on Saturday night to “maintain consistent pretrial proceedings throughout Illinois.”
The other provisions of the bill that took effect Sunday, such as limiting when defendants can be considered flight risks, allowing defendants under electronic monitoring to leave home for 48 hours before they can be charged. flight prevention and preventing police from arresting non-violent intruders have been widely criticized by politicians and commentators from both sides of the political spectrum.
Critics say the new measures will handcuff police and increase crime by releasing criminals with fines instead of arresting them for certain crimes.
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Sheriff Kyle Bacon said law enforcement’s loyalty remains with crime victims as the SAFE-T Act will increase the number of criminals released onto the streets.
(AP Newsroom)
“When I said this is the most dangerous law I’ve ever seen, I believe it,” said Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau. he told Fox News.
Franklin County Sheriff Kyle Bacon told Fox News that as far as he can tell of the SAFE-T act, “there is no drug offense that is not a firearm or a high-risk drug offense.” level that can be stopped”.
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Chicago Police Department homicide detectives are investigating the shooting.
(Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
As a result, he fears that not only will the high volume of these crimes continue, but low-level drug-abusing offenders will also not be given opportunities to clean themselves up if they are released immediately after arrest.
“It’s a snowball effect if the drug issue leads to these deaths and robberies that we experience,” Bacon said. “They are a fight for rural departments to keep up.”
“Just to hire somebody and send them out before they’re sober, I don’t see a huge benefit,” he told Fox News. “I hope I’m wrong, but it’s worrisome.”
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Chicago Police Department officers patrol the city’s lakefront area over the 4th of July weekend.
(Chicago Police Department)
The new law also allows for anonymous complaints of misconduct against police officers where in the past officers may have known the identity of the person making the accusation.
“He’s opening the door for the community of anti-police activists and the attorneys who represent them who are anti-police,” said retired Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy. told Fox News Digital at the beginning of this year.
“The problem that no one sees or turns a blind eye to is the effect on morale, recruitment and retention,” Roy said. “Anyone can file a complaint against an officer. The department or investigative body does not have to tell the officer who they are, which hinders their ability to respond to the complaint accurately and honestly. It has a negative effect on morale.”
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The SAFE-T Act will also require all police officers in the state to wear body cameras by January 1, 2025. Currently, only 10% of law enforcement agencies in the state are equipped with body cameras. WTVO-TV reported.
Another piece of legislation, Roy told Fox News Digital, prevents officers charged in a use-of-force incident from reviewing their body camera footage before giving a statement. Officers can now amend their statements after viewing the footage, but that, Roy notes, leads to two reports — a situation that Roy says is “ideal” for lawyers looking to cast doubt on an officer’s story who may not having accurately reported every detail simply from memory in the first report.
“In criminal or civil cases stemming from arrests, this bill is great for defense attorneys and for attorneys who like to sue the police,” Roy said.
Chicago Councilman Anthony Napolitano, who represents the city’s 41st District and served as a Chicago police officer and firefighter, told Fox News Digital earlier this year that his constituents are “out of their minds” about the project. “horses—” bill and that he agrees with Roy that the bill will further degrade police morale by eliminating cash bail, which is now on hold pending a future court decision, and release criminals back to the streets with only citations.
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“He is completely wrong in the direction we are going with crime and punishment,” Napolitano said. “The Safe-T Act basically says if you commit a crime you get strike two, strike three, strike four, strike five, it’s just the wrong way to do it.”
Fox News’ Teny Sahakian contributed to this report
