West Central Reporter

State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) recently urged constituents to listen to his and others' concerns regarding the SAFE-T Act, or House Bill 3653.

The bill made changes to the bail system and changed use-of-force rules for police officers, according to the Illinois General Assembly website. 

HB3623 was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) on Jan. 22, 2021, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) website noted. The ICJIA said the act covers three areas for reforming the criminal justice system: policing, pre-trial, and corrections (jails and prisons).

Davidsmeyer shared images of a letter from Brown County State's Attorney Michael Hill in an Aug. 19 Facebook post.

"If you have time, please take a second to see some of the concerns that law enforcement and prosecutors have with the SAFE-T Act and how it will affect the safety of our communities," Davidsmeyer said. "Thank you to my friend Michael Hill, Brown County State's Attorney."

The letter by Hill read, in part:

"The new law going into effect on January 1, 2023, is going to have disastrous consequences for the entire state of Illinois. Abolishing cash bail means that every person that is being held in jail awaiting trial will have their bonds exonerated, and community safety will be put at risk. The Pretrial Fairness Act is full of contradictions [and] ambiguities and is very poorly drafted. The act is so badly written that no two people read it the same way. Lawyers across the state are all scratching their heads, wondering how this new system is going to work and keep people safe."

Davidsmeyer spoke about the issues with the SAFE-T Act on his website in February 2021.

"Now, police must ticket rather than arrest peeping Toms and trespassers," his statement read. "Police officers will only be allowed to pursue criminals if they pose an immediate threat to others. If not, they must let them go and hope to find them at a later date.

"Local governments are now required to purchase body cameras for each police officer, which the law enforcement community agrees with. However, this is an unfunded mandate from the state to local governments that will force them to raise taxes. They will not only need to pay for the cameras themselves but [also] for the years of storage for all of the video taken.

"Many of our smaller communities will be forced to make a decision to significantly raise taxes or get rid of their police protection altogether."