Last year, the Illinois Legislature passed the SAFE-T Act, a measure aimed at holding police officers accountable and making the criminal justice system more equitable and fair for all people.
However, it is coming under criticism as violence against police officers continues to rise in Illinois. What was once touted as a highly popular piece of legislation passed in the wake of the George Floyd murder has now turned into public enemy #1 for Republicans in Illinois.
Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) spoke out in favor of repealing the SAFE-T Act during a recent news conference in which Republican lawmakers released their own criminal reform measures.
“I would also like to thank our law enforcement who are here today. We stand with you and will continue to stand with you,” Rezin said at the press conference. “Violent crime just isn’t happening somewhere else. Carjackings in Cook County have jumped 300% since 2019. Murders are up 57% in Chicago and major crimes in Chicago are already up this year. Yet crime isn’t only hitting Cook County and Chicago, we’re seeing it in our communities everywhere. It’s real for everyone and every Walk of Life. and it’s hitting the suburbs. it’s hitting Central Illinois, and it’s hitting southern Illinois.”
Recent FBI statistics revealed that over 60,000 law enforcement officers were injured in the line of duty nationwide last year.
According to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database (LEOKA), fatal felony attacks on officers spiked 31.6% in early 2021. By the end of April, police departments had reported a total of 25 police officers killed in felony attacks. At the same time last year, that number was 19.
Rezin also advocated for more resources for law enforcement. “This legislation would provide a direct infusion of $125 million to law enforcement that would provide funding for body cameras, for police training, for outreach and community policing programs for hiring and rehiring of officers and for mental health treatment for individuals who are incarcerated in our prisons. Additionally, we can no longer take it easy on those who commit violence against men and women serving to protect us,” Rezin said.
House Republicans have also created a petition for voters to sign regarding the repeal.
