Illinois State Representative Tony McCombie said on May 3 that the recent killing of Chicago police officer John Bartholomew and the critical injury of his partner highlight problems with the SAFE-T Act. The suspect in the case was already facing charges and out on pretrial release, a situation McCombie said would not have occurred before the law’s passage.
The issue has renewed debate over whether the SAFE-T Act puts public safety at risk by prioritizing criminal defendants’ rights. “Cases like this should force every policy maker in Illinois to answer this question: does the SAFE-T Act protect criminals’ rights at the expense of the safety of the public and law enforcement? I say yes and I am not alone. JB Pritzker has previously admitted that the SAFE-T Act needs changed,” McCombie said.
As Republican leader in the Illinois House, McCombie is promoting House Bill 5757, which would require mandatory revocation of pretrial release if an offender commits a new felony while on electronic monitoring. “It’s common-sense accountability,” she said. However, she added that more legislative fixes are needed beyond this bill alone, saying that judges, prosecutors, and police all agree change must happen.
“Preventable harm is unacceptable, especially when it results in the death of our heroes and innocent citizens. The revolving door for offenders must end. We have the legislative fixes – now we just need partners in the Democratic majority,” McCombie said.
McCombie argued that since its enactment in 2021, “the SAFE-T Act is a prime example” of how poor public policy can have deadly consequences by enabling criminals. She concluded by stating: “The question is no longer whether reform is needed, but how quickly it must happen. We cannot continue to allow our state to prioritize criminals over victims, over families, over law enforcement, and over the security of our neighborhoods. HB 5757 is a tool that can help prevent the next public safety tragedy.” McCombie was elected as a Republican to represent Illinois’ 89th House District beginning in 2023 according to Ballotpedia.
