Chicago is facing drastically rising crime after passing the SAFE-T Act. | Canva
Chicago is facing drastically rising crime after passing the SAFE-T Act. | Canva
Sean Morrison, Cook County's Commissioner and GOP Chairman, had harsh words for local officials as he shared a photo of Chicago's rising crime statistics. According to Morrison, more work needs to be done to address the rampant crime that is occurring in Cook County.
Earlier this year, fellow Republicans were critical of a criminal justice reform bill that Democrats passed which reduced measures taken against convicted criminals.
Morrison said in a Tweet, "Now let’s expand discussion towards these horrid stats & identify causes and the solutions to curbing it. I will start, End reduced charges, increased bail amounts, NO electronic monitoring for violent offenders. Prosecute low-level crime as well."
In a report released by the Chicago Police, it was recorded that as of May 29, there had been 232 murders, 952 shooting incidents, 826 criminal sexual assaults, 3,158 robberies, 2,167 aggravated batteries, 2,810 burglaries, 6,577 thefts, and 5,128 motor vehicle thefts reported in Chicago this year.
More than 50% of the people who were shot were shot over the holiday weekend. Of those, 9 were killed, as reported by NBC.
On Jan. 13, a bill was passed in the early hours of the morning in Illinois, which is known as the SAFE-T Act. The bill was aimed at making the justice system more equitable for minorities. Republicans have called it a "de facto defund the police bill".
One of the most controversial provisions of the SAFE-T Act that took effect when the bill was passed is a rule allowing criminal defendants who are awaiting trial on home confinement to move freely without electronic monitoring two days a week. The defendants are meant to use that time to look for employment, attend school, or undergo treatment for drug addiction or mental illness.
So far, during the first three months of the year, around two dozen people were arrested in Cook County during their essential movement days, including two people who were shot to death.
Some Democrats, including Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, have called for an end to this provision as crime continues to rise in the city.
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