State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) — the politician who pushed to remove the cash bail requirement in the state — was the victim of a carjacking in Broadview.
A police report from the Village of Broadview noted Lightford was the victim.
“On Dec. 21, 2021, at approximately 9:45 p.m., three masked subjects driving a Durango SUV hijacked a vehicle, a black Mercedes Benz SUV, in the possession of State Senator Kimberly Lightford in the 2000 block of South 20th Avenue in Broadview,” Broadview Chief of Police Thomas Mills said in a press release. “The senator and her husband, Eric McKennie, who were together during the incident, were unharmed. There are no reports of injuries to the subjects. The subjects fled in both senator’s car and in the Durango. Broadview Police are investigating potential surveillance video to help identify the subjects. The investigation is ongoing.”
Lightford, the leader of the Black Caucus, pushed to pass the Pretrial Fairness Act HB3653, which will eliminate cash bail in the state in 2023.
Illinois is the only state where offenders are not held on a cash bail. In some cases, that means they have no reason to return to court and are free to remain on the streets.
Lightford led fellow Democrats in January passing the bill in the Senate 32-23. It was later signed into law.
The legislation, aimed at keeping the poor out of jail, has resulted in criminals being released much more easily for crimes they would have been jailed for in the past.
Critics have pointed to a revolving-door scenario, where criminals are arrested and freed several times, allowing them commit a string of crimes without facing significant punishment.
The elimination of cash bail and laws prosecution has led to crime rates in Illinois advancing to the highest level in decades. Cook County alone has seen 1,000 murders this year, the most since 1994.
Lombard Police Chief Roy Newton said earlier this year that the environment in which criminals are allowed to continue to terrorize communities has led to an overall safety problem in the state.
“Those offenders go out and continue to commit more crimes,” he told DuPage Policy Journal.
Lightford’s State Senate District 4 includes Chicago and western suburbs.
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