West Cook News

Illinois Republicans continue to publicly criticize the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act which they believe will make the state less safe for the families who live here.

State Sen. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) this week took to Facebook to speak out against the law, parts of which have already taken effect, that was passed by the state's Democrat lawmakers last January.

"Without a legislative fix, provisions of the SAFE-T Act that actually threaten public safety will take effect on January 1, 2023," Curran wrote in a June 13 post. "On this week's Flannery Fired Up program, I join House Democrat Kam Buckner for a discussion of the problematic bill. Please watch the segment and learn about my efforts to fix the inherent problems with this new law."

In the video, which aired on FOX 32 Chicago and was posted to Curran's Facebook page, Curran said the first thing he would fix about the law is "the detention standards or lack thereof."

"There's no magic to cash bail," Curran told FOX 32 Chicago. "The ability to pay a bond has no correlation to whether or not someone poses a risk to public safety, this is what state's attorneys around the state have been warning us about."

According to the Shaw Local News Network, DuPage County State's Attorney Bob Berlin joined several suburban state's attorneys last month to express their worries about the SAFE-T Act which was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last year. Berlin spoke out during a forum at the Eola Community Center in Aurora where he said he was worried about the negative impacts it would have on communities across the state with more violent criminals being allowed on the streets under the law. 

"Take, for instance, the December shooting at Oakbrook Mall two days before Christmas," he said at the forum. "I hear from so many people in the community that are now afraid to go to that mall. That's the kind of impact that a shooting has on an entire community."

Those in support of the SAFE-T Act, including the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, believe the legislation is a step in the right direction towards making the justice system fairer for minorities, Capitol News Illinois reported. Meanwhile, Republican counterparts have called the law a "de facto defund the police bill" because of the additional rules it places on law enforcement. 

According to the news outlet, the law will eliminate cash bail in Illinois as of the first of the year. Critics say that in itself will lead to more criminals out in the general public.

Under the law, defendants in home confinement awaiting trial are now allowed to have two days a week where they can move freely without being monitored. Lawmakers established "essential movement" days to give the defendants a chance to find a job, go to the grocery store, seek treatment, or go to school, according to the Chicago Sun Times. However, in just three months about two dozen people were arrested in Cook County alone on the free movement days. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, a Democrat, has already called upon lawmakers to end that part of the law.