North Cook News

With Jan. 1 approaching, bodies of local government are preparing for the implementation of the SAFE-T Act. Counties are looking to raise taxes to balance budget deficits due to unfunded mandates within the bill. There are state’s attorneys that have begun the meticulous process of reviewing cases of people being detained pretrial to determine who will be released on Jan. 1. 

All the while, state-level elected officials and candidates continue to battle over the right course of action moving forward. One hundred out of the 102 Illinois state’s attorneys have opposed the SAFE-T Act for various reasons, all Republican candidates and incumbents have opposed the bill and numerous Democrats have either opposed the bill or stated the wording needs to be changed.

Jack Vrett, candidate for Illinois State Rep. in District 53, opposes the SAFE-T Act and weighed in on the controversial bill. 

"With crime and public safety on the ballot this November, the stakes of this election could not be higher," Vrett said in a statement. "Voters will decide whether the career politicians who blindly went along with extreme anti-police, anti-prosecutor and anti-victim legislation should be trusted with two more years in office. When the SAFE-T Act goes into effect in January, judges across Cook County will start releasing criminals currently held in custody as a danger to the community. This because of new, lenient standards that make protecting the public nearly impossible for prosecutors in all but the rarest of circumstances. This means that people charged with armed robbery, drug trafficking and carjacking, or even murder, will start walking free – while families fear for their safety."

Vrett is a veteran, former prosecutor, husband and father running for office to provide avenues for economic growth, fight taxes and inflation and ensure public safety.

The SAFE-T Act is a controversial law passed by the Illinois State Legislature in January 2021 that deals with many aspects of criminal justice reform, including the banning of cash bail, prohibiting pre-trial detention for several crimes and increasing training and equipment requirements for police departments. The bill passed the General Assembly unanimously and the Senate by a 32-23 vote. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill a few days later.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) website states that 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 controversial aspect of the SAFE-T Act is its elimination of 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.

Police 1 reported that among the major provisions of the SAFE-T Act is one that restricts the level of force officers may use while pursuing an offender or making an arrest if the officer reasonably believes the person can be apprehended at a later date. It will be illegal for law enforcement to shoot a taser at someone’s back, pelvis and head, which currently is a "recommended target" in all police officer training. 

Additionally, body cameras will be made mandatory for all law enforcement agencies by 2025, according to Police 1. Under the law, officers cannot make custodial arrests for Class B misdemeanors, which include criminal trespass and window-peekers. Instead of making an arrest, officers will be required to issue a citation and do not have the authority to remove a person from private or public property unless they are acting in a threatening manner.

Many localities are struggling to find the funding required to implement the SAFE-T Act. The Center Square reported the Kane County Board is discussing its first property tax hike in a decade, claiming they need it to fill a $3 million deficit created by unfunded mandated reforms in the SAFE-T Act.

Recently, State’s Attorney James Glasgow was asked about the SAFE-T Act in an interview with WGN10 Radio where he responded, “The bottom line is the law [The SAFE-T Act] is unconstitutional.” Glasgow continued on to reference Article I Section 9 of the Illinois State Constitution, which states, “[a]ll persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties,” except for capital offenses, death penalty, life in prison or felonies with mandatory prison.