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“I think this is a political decision clearly not in the best
interest of the people,” Caulkins told The Center Square. “It
will only lead to more crime while making recruiting and
retaining officers more difficult as they go through the process
of arresting people only to see them back on the streets in a
matter of hours. Our constitution talks about bail and says
‘shall’ and not 'may'.”
By a 5-2 vote, the state high court last week overturned a
ruling by a Kankakee County judge who had ruled the law was
unconstitutional. The end to cash bail will now go into effect
across the state on Sept. 18, making Illinois the first state to
fully abolish the cash bail system.
Caulkins said he can’t understand how things ever came to this.
“This hasn’t worked anywhere they’ve tried it and it has even
been rejected in California by voters,” he added. “I really
don’t know why so many members of the Democratic Party here in
Illinois think they can do this better.”
Courts will now have roughly two months before the law goes into
effect to prepare, but Caulkins worries its impact will be
instantaneous.
“This does nothing to improve the already dampened morale and
spirit of officers in this state,” he said. “It’s like the
system is no longer there to help people. Crime victims are
being left out to dry at a time when we need to be working for
the betterment of everyone.”
While there are some parts of the bill he and other GOP
lawmakers agree with, such as officers wearing cameras and new
training mandates that went into effect on July 1, Caulkins said
there’s a reason why so many in law enforcement stand opposed to
it on the whole.
“It’s only going to result in criminals who should be held in
jail being right back on the street where they can continue a
life of crime and even go after witnesses that might stand up to
them,” he said. “The no cash bail provision has been criticized
in other cities that have tried it because of the negative
impact it has had on the safety and security of their citizens.”
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