Prairie State Wire

The SAFE-T Act continues to be a hot topic and it has received major pushback from law enforcement, state’s attorneys, and state representatives. 

Signed into law back in January of 2021 by Gov. JB Pritzker, the SAFE-T Act was written with the intention to promote equitable due process among other things during the course of Illinois’ criminal justice process. Those who oppose the SAFE-T Act argue that it restricts the tools necessary for law enforcement to properly do their jobs and the requirements stipulated, such as body cameras, may cause significant financial strain for many police departments.

"It’s extremely important to hear from our men and women in blue, about how this abominable ‘Safe-T Act’ will affect them," People Who Play By the Rules Spokesman Mike Koolidge said. "They’re the ones who have to deal directly with the alleged perpetrators."

On Sept. 16, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana uploaded a video to YouTube explaining how the current criminal justice system works and the changes that will be implemented on January 1, 2023, when the SAFE-T Act goes into effect.

"Currently, our judges use an evidence-based process to determine if the alleged criminal defendant should be let out or should they be incarcerated during this time or before going to court," Caruana said. "This [current] system works. It’s not putting the community at risk. It's incarcerating the people that need to be incarcerated using metrics and tools that the judges use. [Under the SAFE-T Act] There's a certain subset of crimes that we're going to have to let out."

According to 97ZOK, the subset of crimes Sheriff Caruana referred to in his statement are: Aggravated Battery, Robbery, Burglary, Hate Crimes, Aggravated DUI, Vehicular Manslaughter, Drug-Induced Homicide, Drug Offences including Trafficking and delivery of fentanyl, Intimidation, Kidnapping, Second Degree Murder, Aggravated Fleeing and Threatening a Public Official.

Pritzker recently defended the elimination of cash bail, according to The Center Square. 

"We do not want someone in jail because they were arrested for a low-level crime like shoplifting to be sitting in jail for months or maybe even years," Pritzker said. "At the same time, someone who is a wealthy drug dealer, perhaps accused of murder and arrested, can show up with a suitcase full of money and get out of jail."

In his video, Caruana concluded that the SAFE-T Act "is a failure." The Sheriff expressed that he has tried to speak with the ‘authors of this bill’ but ‘they are persisting to make this [allowing the SAFE-T Act to take full effect] happen’ on Jan. 1.

SafeWise's annual 2022 State of Safety survey found that only 42% of Illinois residents report feeling safe, while 64% reported feeling "high daily concern" for their safety. 13% of respondents reported experiencing gun violence firsthand, an increase from 8% the previous year. Mass shooting incidents in Illinois increased by 25% from 2020 to 2021.