State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-4th District) voted along with the majority (32-23) to pass the Pretrial Fairness Act (HB3653) at 4:49 a.m. on Jan. 13. HB3653 was introduced by the Legislative Black Caucus of which Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-7th District), now the House Speaker, is a member. The bill was passed on to the Assembly which approved the 764-page piece of legislation later in the morning.
Lawmakers and police officials are divided on the passage of a sweeping criminal justice reform package passed by the Illinois legislature early Wednesday morning during the lame duck session.
Updated 1/15/2021 9:08 AM
No cash bail. No promise of state funding to help pay for and operate mandatory body cameras. No accusers names on misconduct complaints against police officers, and no sworn affidavits supporting them.
No good.
That s some suburban law enforcement leaders assessment of a sweeping criminal justice bill passed Wednesday by the Illinois General Assembly and now awaiting the signature of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Police leaders we spoke to this week say they welcome much-needed reforms but that the legislation passed this week makes officers jobs more difficult, and it ll be communities that suffer as a result. We re disheartened by what occurred, said Crystal Lake Chief James Black, who s also president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. We will continue to move forward and we will obviously work to make sure that we are in compliance with the provisions of the state statute, but I just think that, unfortunately, it s going to be our com
Originally House Bill 163 and now House Bill 3653, the law was written by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, and includes among other things ending cash bail for non-violent offenders state-wide, requiring all police officers in the state to wear body cameras, expanding use of force guidelines and training for police, prohibiting chokeholds, and requires the maintenance of misconduct records and the use of special prosecutors in officer-involved deaths.
The new bill was amended with proposals from Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul: including creating uniformity for officers and departments across the state, creating an easier and more uniform system of police certification and de-certification, and giving the Illinois Attorney General s Office authority under state law to investigate and resolve patterns or practices of unconstitutional policing.
The Illinois Senate passed a criminal justice omnibus bill early Wednesday morning after a grueling 20 hours of politicking. The House followed suit Wednesday morning, clearing the way for the bill to head to the governor.