Democrats stand with law enforcement groups to tout ‘new way’ of
addressing crime
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[April 05, 2022]
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Flanked by members of law enforcement advocacy groups,
about a dozen Democrats from both chambers of the Illinois General
Assembly called a news conference Monday to tout proposals that they say
will help with the recruitment and retention of law enforcement
officers.
The lawmakers touted a proposal creating a Law Enforcement Recruitment
and Retention Fund, bills focusing on officer mental health, the
creation of a grant program for off-hours day care, and a measure
requiring counties to pay their sheriff 80 percent of their state’s
attorney’s pay.
There was not, however, any appropriations bill tied to the new funds,
meaning funding would have to be provided in the budget process which is
scheduled to wrap up Friday.
Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, said the measures came out of a House
public safety working group.
“This public safety working group has gotten together to come up with
real commonsense ideas on how to get things done in a new way – the old
way doesn't work, the old way that the people on the other side of the
aisle are throwing out don't work,” he said. “These are new ways that
will hopefully take us into the next century with cleaner streets, safer
streets.”
It was the second news conference addressing rising crime by Democrats
in the past two weeks as the party faces near constant attacks on crime
from Republicans seven months ahead of an election that will see every
seat in the General Assembly up for a vote.
Unlike at last week’s news conference touting witness protection and
community investment programs, the majority party on Monday was
accompanied by law enforcement groups that have staunchly opposed the
criminal justice reform known as the SAFE-T Act which Democrats passed
in January 2021.
At the news conference was Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Executive
Director Jim Kaitschuk and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
Executive Director Ed Wojcicki.
Members of the Sheriffs’ Association have been among the staunchest
opponents of the SAFE-T Act, citing such provisions as reforms to
use-of-force standards and officer certification, as well as an end of
cash bail beginning next year, as contributing factors to officer
resignations.
While opposed to the SAFE-T Act, the law enforcement groups previously
worked with lawmakers on two trailer bills that softened use-of-force
guidelines and pushed back implementation dates of decertification
standards among other changes.
Kaitschuk, after the news conference, told Capitol News Illinois he
viewed the measures proposed Monday as separate from the SAFE-T Act, and
declined to directly answer whether he believed they would counteract
any real or perceived negative effects on officer recruitment that
resulted from the 2021 criminal justice reform.
“This wasn't about the SAFE-T Act,” he said after Monday’s news
conference. “This was about efforts to recruit and retain. And this has
been a – it hasn't been just one thing that caused the issues in terms
of recruitment and retention. Back in the 90s, we had a lot of federal
funding that came to hire officers, those officers – one, the funding
went away, and two, those officers are obviously, they're my age, so
they’re retirement age, so they've moved on to other careers and
retired.”
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Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, introduces a package of bills Monday
aimed at addressing rising crime through several yet-to-be-funded
grant programs and other measures. (Capitol News Illinois photo by
Peter Hancock)
The measures laid out Monday are a message from lawmakers “that we do
care about law enforcement,” Kaitschuk said, making recruitment and
retainment easier.
The Law Enforcement Recruitment and Retention Fund, contained as an
amendment to House Bill 3863, would be subject to the appropriations
process, but would allow the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and
Standards Board to award grants to local governments, public higher
education institutions and qualified nonprofits for the purpose of
hiring and retaining officers.
Preference would be given to efforts that bolster departments with the
greatest need and ones that diversify police departments. The fund would
be allowed to accept gifts.
Another measure, contained in House Bill 1568, allows retiring officers
to purchase their service weapon and badge, and makes a change to police
pensions from current law pertaining to the deferred retirement option
plan for law officers. Lawmakers said the law as written disincentivizes
working past age 55, but the bill would change that, they believe, while
remaining revenue neutral.
That measure also calls on ILETSB and the Illinois Community College
Board to report recommendations to the General Assembly for establishing
minimum requirements for credit transfers satisfying the requirements of
law enforcement and correctional intern courses.
An amendment to House Bill 4608 would allow for body camera video
retention for evidentiary value and allow grant funds to be used for
data storage costs.
An amendment to House Bill 1321 creates the First Responder Behavioral
Health Grant Fund, also subject to appropriations, that would provide
grants to local governments, law enforcement agencies, fire districts,
school districts, hospitals or ambulance services, for expenses related
to behavioral health care for first responders.
That measure would also allow ILETSB to establish statewide minimum
standards for mental health screenings for officers.
An amendment to House Bill 4364 would create the Fund Mental Health and
Substance Use Prevention Fund, also subject to appropriations, to create
grants to local governments and public universities to provide mental
health and substance use prevention to people who are incarcerated.
An amendment to House Bill 1571 creates a child care grant program, also
subject to appropriations, to fund providers who expand after-hours and
nightly child care for children of first responders and other late-shift
workers.
Another measure, in House Bill 3893, extends from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 1,
2027, the expiration of a law that allows law enforcement to use a
device to record a conversation during an investigation of certain
offenses, including murder, drug and sex offenses. It also extends the
expiration of the Illinois Street Gang and Racketeer Influenced and
Corrupt Organizations Law by one year to June 11, 2023.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news
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Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. |