North Cook News

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi, R-Elmhurst, said ongoing and escalating crime is a serious issue, and is placing the blame on Democrat-backed legislation such as the SAFE-T Act for exacerbating it. 

Mazzochi was recently appointed to the new bipartisan Crime Reduction Task Force, which will work on potential solutions to stem the growing tide of crime in the state, according to a news release on her website. In addition to lawmakers, the task force will include law enforcement professionals, legal and criminal justice participants, witnesses and victims of crime. 

“Our district runs along a key border of Cook County as well as critical transport corridors. Our residents have witnessed the rise in carjackings, retail theft, burglaries, and a previously unthinkable shooting at Oak Brook Mall,” Mazzochi said in the news release. “I hear it every day talking with our district residents—they are rightfully concerned and deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods and homes.”

According to the news release, the task force is charged with making a recommendation by March 1, 2023. Highlighting the importance is a September Safewise survey that found 64% of Illinois residents worry about crime daily, and just 42% responded that they feel safe living in the state. Mazzochi noted in her news release that Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, which kicks into full gear on Jan. 1, 2023

“The majority party passed the SAFE-T Act at 3 a.m. during a lame duck session last year,” Mazzochi said in the news release on her website. “Now they are hearing from their residents, who are also not happy. Rushed legislation even with good intentions can produce negative unintended consequences. It is time to get it right and give more, not less, consideration to the negative consequences from legislation that affect public safety.”

Mazzochi also said in her release that she will do everything she can to ensure the task force has its priorities in line, and the SAFE-T Act will likely be a focal point. 

“As a member of the House Judiciary-Criminal committee, I was incredibly disappointed this spring when the committee ignored legislation to protect the rights of victims or even to prevent the further escalation of crime,” she also said in the release. “I will do everything in my power to make sure this task force has its priorities set.”

However, there is support for the SAFE-T Act, as Capitol News Illinois noted supporters of the included the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. The legislation’s supporters maintain it is a move toward a balanced justice system for minorities. Despite this support, Capital News Illinois also noted that some Republicans have tagged it as a “de facto defund the police bill" due to the restrictions placed on law enforcement. 

Moreover, the Chicago Sun-Times reported recently that a key provision of the SAFE-T act that took effect in January allows individuals awaiting trial on home confinement to leave their residences without electronic monitoring two days a week. The newspaper noted that this is intended to allow them to seek employment, attend school or receive treatment for drug addiction or mental health issues. Despite the intent, in the first quarter of the year, more than 24 people were attested during their permitted movement days, drawing heat from both sides of the aisle and prompting Democrat Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to seek an end to the practice. 

“If you’re charged with a violent offense, and you’re given home monitoring, you don’t get to wander around free for two days a week,” he told the Sun-Times. 

According to data from the Chicago Police Department, there were a total of 248 murders in the city as of June 5, with 1,013 shooting incidents, 3,309 robberies, 2,289 aggravated batteries, 2,944 burglaries, 6,940 thefts, 5,345 motor vehicle thefts, and 864 criminal sexual assaults also were reported. The police department data indicated that compared to the same period one year ago, thefts have jumped by 66%, burglaries are up 32% and motor vehicle thefts are up 32%.