Officials across Illinois discuss challenges facing police in the state

[September 07, 2022]  By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Law enforcement officials are sharing some strategies in combating crime and the challenges they see coming down the line.

Tuesday morning in East St. Louis, Gov. J.B. Pritzker was on hand to announce a new Illinois State Police regional headquarters his administration said would be done in three to five years.

“It reflects what this region and all of Illinois deserve, communities where public safety works so all of our families can thrive,” Pritzker said Tuesday.

ISP Director Brendan Kelly heralded the new location and took a question about the progress made by the Public Safety Enforcement Group as a way to combat violence.

“That’s something that as we measure over time it seems to be very effective and as a model that is being replicated in other parts of the state, not just with ISP but with other local law enforcement agencies,” Kelly said.

The group, initiated in late 2020, is an investigative unit state police say utilizes a community-based, trauma-informed approach to violent crime reduction that partners East St. Louis stakeholders.

The new ISP multi-mission facility Pritzker announced Tuesday will house patrol, investigation, communications and special weapons and tactics resources and is estimated to cost $55 million, paid for with tax increases from 2019.

Pritzker has recently championed $250 million in grants for local nonprofits across the state for gun violence prevention programs.

Separately, state Sen. Darren Bailey, the Republican candidate for governor, was in Springfield taking part in a roundtable discussion with county sheriffs from across the state. He said more funding isn’t the answer.

“And that’s all we ever hear for solutions in Illinois,” Bailey told reporters. “More money, more spending. That more money and that more spending never comes with more accountability and more transparency.”

Bailey laid out his concerns about the SAFE-T Act, ranging from cashless bail to anonymous complaints against police and more. He advocates for the measure to be repealed. Pritzker has defended the law.
 

After attending the sheriff roundtable in Springfield, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said there are big concerns with cashless bail and other provisions of the SAFE-T Act going into effect statewide in the new year.

“There’s all kinds of issues they haven’t really worked out and again if they would have talked to us early on the process, we could have told them ‘here are the things they should allow for,” Campbell told The Center Square.

Another issue Cambell raised is the law allowing criminal defendants three phone calls when in custody.

“There’s all kinds of safety issues that come up that they could call a co-conspirator,” Campbell said. “If they’re a juvenile, we have to notify their parents. Well maybe a sibling is a co-conspirator.”

Greg Bishop reports on Illinois government and other issues for The Center Square. Bishop has years of award-winning broadcast experience and hosts the WMAY Morning Newsfeed out of Springfield.