Kane County Reporter

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) called for the repeal of the SAFE-T Act in the interest of public safety.

 "The SAFE-T Act needs to be repealed today to ensure the safety of our residents. It's time for the legislature to work together with law enforcement experts to reduce crime in Illinois and make our state the best place to live, learn, work, and grow,” Ugaste posted Facebook.

Supporters of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, including the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, point to the legislation as a step toward making the justice system more equitable for minorities. Republicans have called the SAFE-T Act a “de facto defund the police bill" because of the additional regulations it places on police officers.

One hundred of Illinois' 102 state's attorneys have said they oppose the SAFE-T Act, CBN News reported.

Kane County State's Attorney Jamie Mosser and Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, both Democrats, wrote in an open letter published in the Cook County Record that although they support criminal justice reform, they believe the SAFE-T Act is flawed. They said that a quarter of Kane County inmates will be released if the bill's Pre-Trial Fairness Act takes effect on Jan. 1, and said that those people "are accused of serious crimes – they are not low-level, non-violent offenses." 

They expressed concern over the belief that defendants accused of robbery, kidnapping, aggravated battery, vehicular homicide, and drug-induced homicide will not be able to be detained come January. They also called the bill "an unfunded mandate from Springfield" that will leave Kane County taxpayers on the hook for added expenses.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said last week at a campaign stop that he is open to considering small changes to the bill, the Lake & McHenry County scanner reported. After saying he felt that some people don't understand the bill and are spreading misinformation about it, he said, "Well again, I am willing to consider tweaks to the legislation. The legislation is about providing tools and technology to police, making sure we are funding them, and making sure we keep the murderers, rapists, and domestic abusers in jail.” 

Illinois will be the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail if the provision goes into effect.