Ted Dabrowski, a gubernatorial candidate for Illinois, addressed the Polish American Police Association meeting at the Jolly Inn Restaurant & Banquet Hall in Chicago. He criticized Democratic policies and the SAFE-T Act, claiming they have increased danger in the city. Dabrowski pledged to repeal the law to enable police to better protect residents.
“I am grateful for all the sacrifices our police make in order to keep us safe in spite of Gov. Pritzker’s failed policies,” said Dabrowski. “A woman burned on the CTA by a repeat offender — 49 arrests, 10 felonies, is emblematic of how dangerous Chicago has become under Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson’s SAFE-T Act. As governor, I will fight with all my power to repeal the SAFE-T Act and restore the ability of police officers to do their jobs and keep residents safe.”
The Polish American Police Association of Chicago and Illinois is a fraternal group for officers of Polish heritage that holds regular meetings at Jolly Inn Restaurant & Banquet Hall on West Irving Park Road. During its gathering, Dabrowski expressed gratitude to officers for their sacrifices and connected their work to growing public concern about crime. He argued that Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s support for the SAFE-T Act has restricted law enforcement’s capabilities. By addressing rank-and-file police and their families directly, he positioned his campaign as a collaboration with law enforcement to restore order and safety across Illinois.
The SAFE-T Act in Illinois, along with its Pretrial Fairness Act component, reformed criminal justice by eliminating traditional cash bail and introducing pretrial release hearings based on risk rather than financial capability. Judges now make detention or release decisions based on statutory criteria, with many low-level offenses being presumptively eligible for release. Proponents of the reform argue it reduces inequities and unnecessary jail time; however, critics from law enforcement and Republican circles warn it limits judges’ discretion, complicates detaining dangerous repeat offenders, and contributes to perceptions of leniency on crime in Illinois.
Chicago’s recent public safety debate has intensified following an incident where a woman was set on fire aboard a CTA train downtown by an individual with an extensive criminal record. Reports identify the victim as twenty-six-year-old Bethany MaGee and the suspect as Lawrence Reed, who has numerous prior arrests and felony convictions. This case has raised questions about supervision and release decisions. Federal prosecutors have charged Reed under anti-terrorism statutes, while critics of Illinois’ bail and monitoring policies use this case as evidence that repeat violent offenders remain free to harm innocent individuals.
Dabrowski is a conservative policy analyst and Republican gubernatorial candidate who previously led Wirepoints, an Illinois-focused research outlet known for its work on taxes, pensions, and state finances. Before entering the gubernatorial race, he served as vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute and spent over a decade in international banking with Citibank in Mexico and Poland. Dabrowski states that his family’s immigrant story and his background studying Illinois’ fiscal and crime challenges motivate his campaign efforts to cut taxes, enhance public safety, and restore opportunity. He aims to lead Illinois towards a tougher-on-crime, pro-police, pro-growth direction.
