Kane County Reporter

State Sen. Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) said more state's attorneys are filing lawsuits against the SAFE-T Act.

"I have never seen this number of lawsuits filed against a piece of legislation adopted by the General Assembly in Illinois, and the number of suits is growing daily," DeWitte posted on Facebook. He then listed the 23 state's attorneys who have filed suits against the entire, or parts of the SAFE-T Act.

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.

A meme circulating on the internet claims that as of Jan. 1, the following offenses will be considered "non-detainable:" arson, burglary, aggravated battery, aggravated DUI, aggravated fleeing, drug-induced homicide, intimidation, kidnapping, robbery, threatening a public official, and 2nd degree murder. The meme claims people who are charged with those crimes will be released without bail.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called these allegations "misinformation."

"Misinformation spreads like wildfire, and there are ugly lies making the rounds about the SAFE-T Act," Pritzker posted on Facebook. "This law does not mandate the release of defendants or create 'non-detainable offenses.' Defendants are eligible for pre-trial release based on their risk, not their bank accounts."

Pritzker has called the lawsuits against the SAFE-T Act a "weak attempt to protect the status quo that lets murders and abusers pay their way out of jail," ABC7 Chicago reported.

House Republicans introduced legislation to repeal the SAFE-T Act and have circulated a petition through which residents can show they support repealing the bill. As of Oct. 11, the petition had more than 10,000 signatures.