Illinois' sweeping criminal justice reforms have had an “overwhelmingly negative” impact, the sheriff of a small southern town said a year after the law took effect.
“This kind of reform and constant police-bashing rhetoric that we're hearing from Marxists is really getting the intended results that they want,” said Jeff Bullard, the Jefferson County Sheriff. said. he told Fox News. “They are trying to damage the police profession and have had some success.”
“Police leaders need to stand firm,” he added. “Very loud, very vocal, very strong.”
The Safety, Accountability, Fairness, Fairness Today (SAFE-T) Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2023, gives defendants more freedom and includes provisions that reduce certain felonies to misdemeanors. Completely overhauled Illinois' judicial system. It also lowered the severity of some misdemeanor crimes, such as trespassing, and eliminated cash bail statewide.
See more FOX News Digital Originals here
Bullard said some of the problems he and other law enforcement leaders who opposed the SAFE-T Act predicted are coming true.
“If you look at the individual elements of the law, you can see that this law was created out of distrust of law enforcement,” he told Fox News. “So I think any rhetoric that it's to benefit law enforcement is disingenuous.”
The law includes reforms that would streamline the process for revoking police licenses, allow anonymous complaints against officers to be investigated and prohibit the destruction of police misconduct records.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard said the SAFE-T law harms the profession of law enforcement in Illinois and that this was the “intended result” of Democratic lawmakers who passed the law. (X/Illinois State Police)
Bullard said the “complicated” changes are causing police officers across the state to feel “uneasy” while performing their duties.
“Even in the most secure government agencies, there are still going to be employees who are a little nervous about this,” he said.
So far, Jefferson County has met all deadlines in the 764-page law, but with more changes coming, the southern county has hired a law firm to help review its policy procedures for fiscal year 2024. I hired a place. The costs are considerable. Bullard said the small, rural county's budget includes this line item.
Local authorities hired this company to ensure compliance with not only the SAFE-T Act, but also other Illinois statutes and all the requirements proposed by laws that have long been unfriendly to police. “It was so that we could do it,” he said.
Safe-T law: Illinois sheriff warns prosecutors not to go 'excessively' in targeting victims to deter crime
The most controversial provision of the SAFE-T law, the elimination of cash bail, was held up due to legal challenges to its constitutionality, but the Illinois Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the reform. Effective September 18, Illinois became the first state to completely eliminate cash bail.
Under the new law, defendants awaiting trial cannot be required to be released from jail on bail unless a judge determines they pose a threat to the public or a flight risk.
Bullard said 153 of the 280 arrestees brought to the jail since Sept. 18 have been processed and immediately released. A further 55 people were released within a week.
“Some drug offenses, some violent offenses, some DUI charges were all released without posting any bail,” he said. “We see a significant number of offenders being released back into society relatively quickly.”
Bullard said the Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk's Office has seen a 45% decrease in fees collected since the new system went into effect.
“I said this is the most dangerous law I've ever seen, and I believe that,” Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau told Fox News in a previous interview. .
'Stupid' elimination of cash bail means Illinois streets will be 'unsafe' again: Residents
Bullard said progressive reforms like the SAFE-T Act force law enforcement officials to “or just stand back and not do a big deal and basically do their jobs and retire.” He said it was a “strategy to lower morale” by left-wing politicians.
“It makes the profession less desirable to the point where it starts to become increasingly difficult for local agencies in particular to recruit and retain talent,” Bullard said.
In 2022, members of the Illinois Police Chiefs Association cited “recruitment and retention” as the top challenge in a statewide survey, with 60% of agencies saying they are understaffed.
In July, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill. Allow non-American nationals Illinois will become a police officer on January 1 to help fill a staffing shortage. Additionally, the Illinois State Police changed its pre-hire requirements in September, creating more paths to become a police officer in hopes of attracting more applicants.
“My hope is that somewhere along the way, a good cause will prevail and they will realize the problem they are causing,” Bullard said of Democrats pushing these bills.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Until then, he said, law enforcement leaders must put politics aside and “put the people we serve first.”
“I can still go stop a traffic stop. I can still pursue on foot. If they run away from me, I can still participate in a vehicle pursuit. I We're giving our employees the ability to do their jobs,” Bullard said. “And even with this reform in the way, there are still many honorable things about this profession. There are things we just have to try harder at.”
“No matter how hard they try, they can't take away the honor of what we do for a living,” he said.
