Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition & State Senator Plummer Issues Statements

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Published on January 13 2021 9:17 am
Last Updated on January 13 2021 5:34 pm
Written by Matt Robinson

 

A coalition representing Illinois law enforcement leadership and rank-and-file officers has issued a statement regarding action taken by the State Senate at approximately 4 a.m. today on law enforcement and criminal justice legislation during the Lame Duck Session. The legislation is now in the House of Representatives for concurrence. 

The statement reads:

In the dark of night Illinois legislators made Illinois less safe. More than 112,000 citizens so far have signed a petition to oppose the community-endangering law enforcement legislation being rammed through the General Assembly, but how did the Senate respond to those constituent concerns? By introducing a 764-page amendment at 3:51 a.m. and shoving it through in the middle of the night before the people voting on it even had a chance to read it. We had been working in good faith with the Attorney General on a bill that would make great strides to modernize law enforcement, but that legislation was dumped into this monster bill and the result is a betrayal of the public trust that gives many more advantages to criminals than the police. It ties the hands of police officers while pursuing suspects and making arrests, and allows criminals to run free while out on bail.

The legislation includes no way to pay for any of these law abiding citizen-threatening measures, so taxpayers will have to pay extra for the privilege of being crime victims.

We applaud the Senators who had the fortitude to vote in favor of public safety by voting against this bill. We strongly implore the members of the House to listen to their constituent concerns, avoid going down the dangerous path the Senate took, and refuse to concur on this draconian legislation that makes communities less safe.

 

State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville) issued the following statement in opposition to the measure:

“In the early hours of the morning, Senate Democrat lawmakers rammed through a 764-page criminal justice reform proposal disguised under a new bill number. But, the public will not be fooled. While no longer contained in House Bill 163, this criminal justice reform proposal remains a real and present threat to the safety and wellbeing of our law enforcement personnel, our families and our communities.

"This measure endangers the safety of our citizens and makes it harder for law enforcement to carry out their jobs. There's no denying it, this measure will put dangerous and violent offenders back on the streets and threatens the safety of the public. It’s extreme and inexcusable.

"While I wish I could say that I am shocked and dismayed that my Democrat colleagues would think this is how reform proposals should be handled in this chamber, I know better. This is business as usual to push bad and dangerous legislation in the 11th hour, without public input or adequate time to fully vet and understand the full consequences of this proposal.

“This is not how our system of government is supposed to work. These types of shenanigans do not lead to a healthy democracy and, in this instance, they make our law enforcement personnel, our families, and our communities less safe.”

House Bill 3653 passed the Senate by a vote of 32 to 23. ​