Peoria Standard

The SAFE-T Act continues to be a hot topic for Illinois politicians, law enforcement and citizens. The criminal justice reform bill signed into law back in January of 2021 by Gov. JB Pritzker has received major pushback from law enforcement, state’s attorneys and state representatives. 

The SAFE-T Act was written with intentions to promote equitable due process among other things during the course of Illinois’ criminal justice process. Desi Anderson, candidate for Illinois State Senate District 46, and others that oppose the SAFE-T Act argue that it restricts the tools necessary for law enforcement to properly do their jobs and the requirements stipulated, such as body cameras, may cause significant financial strain for many police departments. Will and Kankakee state’s attorneys filed lawsuits on Friday, Sept. 16 with complaints listed that the SAFE-T Act violates sections of the Illinois Constitution.

"The SAFE-T is incredibly flawed and will bring more crime to our communities across the state," Anderson said in a statement. "Even Democrats are recognizing the true dangers of the bill as the Kankakee County state’s attorney filed a lawsuit against Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois attorney general regarding the passing and contents of this bill."

Anderson said the act will limit law enforcement officials' power to do their jobs.

"The SAFE-T Act will release thousands of criminals back on our streets, and the Democrat supermajority will be responsible for the future crimes they commit. Illinois will take the detrimental unprecedented step of being the first state to fully eliminate cash bail while simultaneously limiting the power of law enforcement to do their jobs. I demand the state’s attorneys in the central Illinois region join the lawsuit against this radical legislation that does nothing to keep us safe," she said.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow (D) filed a lawsuit against the State of Illinois naming Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Speaker of the House Emanuel Welch and Donald Harmon as defendants. The complaint lists that: The SAFE-T Act violates numerous sections of the Illinois Constitution, including: Bills “shall be confined to one subject” and “[a] bill shall be read by title on three different days in each house.”

“It is my sworn duty as Will County’s state’s attorney to protect the people of Will County and the State of Illinois. To put it in plain and simple terms, this is not about politics; it is about public safety,” Glasgow said in a press release on his office’s website.

Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe (D) also filed a civil lawsuit naming Pritzker and Raoul as defendants asking that the SAFE-T Act be declared unconstitutional, according to The Daily Journal.

The Daily Journal reported that Pritzker provided them with a statement that called the lawsuit "a weak attempt to protect the status quo" allowing violent criminals to buy their freedom.

Not only state’s attorneys took action last week against the SAFE-T Act. Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana weighed in when he uploaded a video to YouTube on Sept. 16 explaining how the current criminal justice system works and what changes on Jan. 1 when the SAFE-T Act goes into effect. 

"Currently, our judges use an evidence-based process to determine if the alleged criminal defendant should be let out or should they be incarcerated during this time or before going to court," Caruana said. "This [current] system works. It’s not putting the community at risk. It's incarcerating the people that need to be incarcerated using metrics and tools that the judges use. [Under the SAFE-T Act]…There's a certain subsets of crimes that we're going to have to let out."

According to 97ZOK News, the subset of crimes Caruana referred to in his statement are: Aggravated battery, robbery, burglary, hate crimes, aggravated DUI, vehicular manslaughter, drug-induced homicide, drug offenses including trafficking and delivery of fentanyl, intimidation, kidnapping, second-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and threatening a public official.

Caruana concluded his video stating that the SAFE-T Act "is a failure." The sheriff expressed that he has tried to speak with the "authors of this bill" but "they are persisting to make this [allowing the SAFE-T Act to take full effect] happen" on Jan. 1.

Pritzker also recently defended the elimination of cash bail, according to The Center Square. 

"We do not want someone in jail because they were arrested for a low-level crime like shoplifting to be sitting in jail for months or maybe even years," Pritzker said. "At the same time, someone who is a wealthy drug dealer, perhaps accused of murder and arrested, can show up with a suitcase full of money and get out of jail."

SafeWise's annual 2022 State of Safety survey found that only 42% of Illinois residents report feeling safe, while 64% reported feeling "high daily concern" for their safety. Thirteen percent of respondents reported experiencing gun violence firsthand, an increase from 8% the previous year. Mass shooting incidents in Illinois increased by 25% from 2020 to 2021.

Anderson is a small business owner with her husband Nick and mother to a 1 year old. Most will find it hard to relate to her upbringing as she was abandoned as a baby in the Eastern Bloc of communist Europe in Bulgaria. She went on to graduate from Indiana University with a double major degree. Anderson’s goal now is to be a unifying voice in elected office and fight back against the political corruption that has taken hold in Illinois.