Kendall County Times

Jed Davis, the state representative for Illinois House District 75, has expressed concerns about lenient detention laws following a fatal attack by a repeat offender. He believes this incident highlights flaws in the current justice system.

"A medic lost his life because our justice system lost its spine," said Davis, State Representative from Illinois. "Last week, Shanetta Bossell assaulted a police officer and a democrat-appointed judge let her walk. Soft-on-crime policies don't keep people safe. They put our loved ones in body bags. Assaulting a police officer is also a non-detainable offense in Illinois."

In April 2025, Shanetta Bossell was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, and assault after fatally stabbing Kansas City paramedic Graham Hoffman during an ambulance ride. According to KMBC News, Bossell had been released just days earlier on bond after allegedly assaulting a police officer. A Missouri judge entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf and appointed a public defender during her first court appearance. The case has sparked debate over pretrial release policies and public safety.

Illinois eliminated cash bail in 2023 under the Pretrial Fairness Act, shifting pretrial detention decisions to a risk-based system. According to WTTW News, data from Kane, DuPage, and McHenry counties showed that judges approved detention requests in about 38% to 41% of cases, depending on jurisdiction. The reform aims to ensure fairness by assessing threat levels instead of relying on a defendant’s financial ability to post bail.

A report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2019 found that violent offenders had a recidivism rate of 63.8%, significantly higher than the 39.3% rate for non-violent offenders. The Commission noted that this trend holds across criminal history categories, emphasizing the challenges of rehabilitating violent individuals. These findings offer insight into public safety concerns in jurisdictions considering reduced pretrial detention for certain offenses.

Davis has served as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 75th District since 2023. According to the Illinois General Assembly and his official site, he has prioritized public safety by sponsoring House Bill 1346 to increase funding for school resource officers. He advocates for stronger law enforcement presence in schools and community-based safety measures.