Attorney General applauds Governor
Pritzker for signing Criminal Justice law
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[February 23, 2021]
Attorney General Kwame Raoul today applauded Governor JB Pritzker for
signing into law criminal justice reform legislation that includes
Raoul’s initiative to improve the police certification and
decertification process. The measure is part of Attorney General Raoul’s
ongoing work to advocate for policies that make lasting, systemic change
to policing in Illinois. The new law also includes Raoul’s proposals to
allow the Attorney General’s office to conduct pattern-and-practice
investigations of civil rights violations by law enforcement and improve
services for survivors of crimes.
“By signing this law, Governor Pritzker puts Illinois firmly on the path
toward improved services for crime victims, comprehensive criminal
justice reform and constitutional policing,” Raoul said. “I am proud of
the continued work and collaboration between my office, law enforcement,
advocates and legislators to enact meaningful new laws that will not
only promote professionalism, increase transparency and restore the
public’s trust in law enforcement, but also enhance services available
to victims of crime. While today is a significant step forward, lasting
reform is a constant work in progress, and I am committed to continuing
to work alongside our partners in law enforcement to improve policing in
communities across Illinois.”
“This legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the
systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state and our nation
and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness and true justice,”
said Governor JB Pritzker. “In this terrible year, in the middle of a
brutal viral pandemic that hurt Black people and Brown people
disproportionately, lawmakers fought to address the pandemic of systemic
racism in the wake of national protests. This bill was also infused with
solutions from individuals most directly impacted: survivors of domestic
violence, survivors of crime, and those who have been detained pre-trial
only because they are poor. Today we advance our values in the law –
progress secured despite the pandemic, because of the passion and push
of the Legislative Black Caucus, activists, advocates, and residents
intent on leaving a better Illinois for all our children.”
House Bill 3653 was sponsored by Sen. Elgie Sims and Rep. Justin
Slaughter and includes Raoul’s proposal for improving the police
certification and decertification process that focuses on three key
areas for reform: creating uniformity for officers and departments
across the state, promoting professionalism in law enforcement, and
increasing transparency.
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Before this new law, the ways in which law enforcement and state’s
attorneys investigate and take action in response to officer misconduct
varied from department to department.
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Additionally, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards
Board (ILETSB) could decertify an officer only in the event of a
felony conviction and a limited list of misdemeanors.
Raoul’s measure will improve the police certification and
decertification process in Illinois by creating uniformity during
the review process to allow for investigations of serious officer
misconduct that may not automatically lead to decertification but
still warrants a review of the officer’s actions. The law also
promotes professionalism by creating a mandatory reporting system to
ensure officers are in compliance with state professionalism
standards. Additionally, Raoul’s measure will increase transparency
by improving information sharing between hiring departments,
departments and prosecutors, and the ILETSB and the public.
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Attorney General Raoul’s proposal to give the Illinois Attorney
General’s office clear authority under state law to investigate and
resolve patterns or practices of unconstitutional policing by local
and state agencies also was included in the legislation and signed
into law today. Raoul previously led discussions with Congressional
leadership to ensure federal law gives state attorneys general
authority to conduct investigations into patterns or practices of
unconstitutional policing. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
of 2020 was amended as a result, and the legislation was passed last
year by the U.S. House of Representatives – but not by the U.S.
Senate. The law signed today codifies the Illinois Attorney
General’s authority to conduct such investigations in state law.
Additionally, Governor Pritzker signed into law Raoul’s improvements
to the state’s Crime Victim Compensation Program that would enable
the Attorney General’s office to more efficiently administer
benefits in order to make resources more accessible to survivors.
Modernizing the program not only will allow the Attorney General’s
office to better meet crime victims’ immediate needs but also will
contribute to breaking the cycle of community violence.
The Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau enforces state and
federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination in Illinois,
and advocates for legislation to strengthen those laws. Raoul
encourages people who need to file a complaint to do so online or by
calling the Civil Rights Hotline at 1-877-581-3692.
Attorney General Raoul encourages individuals who have been impacted
by a violent crime to call his office’s Crime Victims Assistance
Line at 1-800-228-3368 or visit the Attorney General’s website.
[Office of the Illinois Attorney
General] |