Kendall County Times

With the debate over ways to keep officers safe on the job raging, state Sen. Sue Rezin’s position hasn’t changed.

“It is critical that we support our law enforcement now more than ever,” Rezin recently told the Kendall County Times of the push to make violence on police officers a Class 3 felony hate crime. “We need to ensure that they have the tools and resources necessary to perform their duties and to keep them safe while they are on the job. This is why I supported the Senate Republican Caucus’ public safety package that would have empowered our law enforcement to take on the current rise in crime that our state is currently experiencing.”

Despite the Washington News Post reporting the number of attacks on law enforcement on the rise across the country, Rezin says the safety package was one way Republicans have long been pushing for change.

“Unfortunately, Democrat lawmakers did not allow this package, or even a single piece of legislation included within the package, a committee hearing while we were in Springfield,” Rezin added. “That being said, it is encouraging to see some lawmakers on the other side of the aisle are starting to recognize the serious consequences that the ongoing crime wave has on our police. I look forward to the 2022 legislative session so that we can tackle the public safety issue that is endangering our residents and our men and women in blue."

In sponsoring the bill, democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan points to a July 2020 episode in Grant Park, where upwards of 1,000 people rushed the Christopher Columbus statue in an attempt to topple it as proof the legislation is needed. Moylan’s bill also asks for $100 million for modernize police departments throughout Illinois, according to Illinois News Today.