Republicans highly critical of Illinois Democrats crime measures

[April 09, 2022]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – As Illinois continues to be plagued with increased acts of violent crime, Republican lawmakers say Democratic crime measures passed in the General Assembly don’t go far enough.

Republicans have been criticizing last year’s passage of the SAFE-T Act, a package of criminal reform measures brought forth by the Legislative Black Caucus, including the abolishment of cash bail beginning Jan. 1. Attempts to scrap or rewrite the laws have been unsuccessful. Democrats of late have been holding a number of news conferences with their version of crime-fighting measures.

House Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said the state budget includes crime fighting money, including $200 million for law enforcement and more funding for youth programs.
 

“We are putting aside almost a quarter billion dollars to youths and evidence-based violence prevention programs and violence interrupter programs to give alternatives for our young people,” Harris said.

Illinois leads the nation in carjackings, and a measure headed to the governor provides resources for an Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council, and authorizes the council to assess the scope of the vehicle hijacking problem in the state.

State Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, said the legislation will help increase the presence of law enforcement and the use of technology, as expressway cameras approved by the General Assembly can be a helpful tool in catching carjackers, despite the fact that most carjackings occur on city streets.

In 2015, Democrats removed the right of county prosecutors to charge juvenile carjackers as adults. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said the fact that Democrats last year voted to end cash bail may make prosecution a mute point.

“You guys are going to make sure ‘yea, we are going to go after these guys but we are going to make sure they are not going to be subject to a cash bond so we are going to have to rely on the honor system,’” Durkin said.

Another Democrat bill addresses crime victims and provides protections for carjacking victims who received a traffic ticket after their car was stolen.

Rep Greg Harris, D-Chicago, on the House floor Thursday, May 31, 2018.
Image courtesy of BlueRoomStream

"House Bill 3772 provides a defense for individuals from liability from such violations where their vehicle was stolen and provides that they shall not be liable to violations, fees, fines or penalties during the period in which the motor vehicle was stolen," said the bill’s sponsor state Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago.

State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, is not impressed with the Democrats' crime-fighting measures.

“This does nothing to bring down crime, does nothing to promote public safety, and in fact, is not holding the criminal accountable for the laws that they broke along the way,” Bourne said.

Also approved by both chambers is House Bill 4736. The measure would create the Crime Reduction Task Force and be comprised of a bipartisan group including legislators, law enforcement, and legal and criminal justice professionals, as well as crime victims and witnesses. The task force would develop a plan of action to reduce crime across the state and report its findings to the General Assembly and the governor.

Additionally, the legislation would create a statewide anonymous tip hotline, a Violent Crime Witness Protection fund and Co-Responder Pilot Program for the police departments of East St. Louis, Peoria, Springfield and Waukegan.

Just after midnight Saturday, Democrats approved an amended version of the organized retail theft bill some Republicans said was watered down and doesn't go far enough.
 

"There are some good things in this legislation," said state Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield. "But to sit around until this late hour and this is what we've come up with. Our stores in this state, many of which have not recovered for the pandemic ... and they're being targeted in a way we have not seen before by retail thefts and what do you do, you just change the words around and allow them to be charged with the exact same thing. Well guess what's going to happen, nothing."

Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest