Peoria Standard

The heavily debated SAFE-T Act is set to go into effect on Jan. 1. Since its inception, the SAFE-T Act has received push back from law enforcement, police unions and elected representatives, mainly Republicans. Over the past month, Democrat state’s attorneys have joined the discussion and taken action to repeal the SAFE-T Act. As the discussion of the SAFE-T Act continues to be elevated before the election in November, state level candidates and elected leaders are weighing in.

According to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) website, the SAFE-T Act enacts extensive reform impacting many areas of the criminal justice system, including pre-arrest diversion, policing, pretrial, sentencing and corrections.

The most contested aspect of the SAFE-T Act is that it will eliminate cash bail in the state of Illinois. The bill noted it will be “presumed that a defendant is entitled to release on personal recognizance” and may be detained thereafter if they violate certain conditions listed in 725 ILCS 5/110-2.

State Senate candidate Desi Anderson (IL-46) opposes the SAFE-T Act and stated, "Illinois keeps inching closer and closer to prioritizing criminals over our own residents. The SAFE-T Act was passed by the Democrat supermajority just 30 minutes before the end-of-session deadline and the contents of the legislation are dangerous. Members like my opponent State Sen. Dave Koehler are not thinking of our smaller communities here in Central Illinois. With included provisions such as mandatory body cameras for officers, whether or not more funding is available is completely unfair to the police forces in towns like Goodfield or Congerville. I call for the full repeal of the SAFE-T and instead work to support and strengthen our law enforcement."

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.

On Sept.16, 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 State’s Attorney Jim Rowe (D) filed a civil lawsuit the same week 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 called the Kankakee County state's attorney lawsuit "a weak attempt to protect the status quo" allowing violent criminals to buy their freedom.

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.

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."