South Central Reporter

Illinois Republicans and state law enforcement groups have been outspoken against the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T Act, signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) last year.

Now, state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) has encouraged his constituents to learn about the concerns of the Brown County state's attorney, sheriff, and Mt. Sterling police chief.

"If you have time, please take a second to see some of the concerns that law enforcement and prosecutors have with the SAFE-T Act and how it will affect the safety of our communities," Davidsmeyer said in an Aug. 19 Facebook post. "Thank you to my friend, Michael Hill, Brown County State’s Attorney."

Davidsmeyer shared images from an Aug. 19 press release from Hill’s office. It read, in part: "The new law going into effect on January 1, 2023, is going to have disastrous consequences for the entire state of Illinois. Abolishing cash bail means that every person that is being held in jail awaiting trial will have their bonds exonerated and community safety will be put at risk."

The SAFE-T Act, which included the so-called "Pretrial Fairness Act" passed the state legislature in February 2021 and became law, according to the General Assembly website. It not only made changes to the state's bail system, but also changed rules for police use of force and discipline standards for law enforcement officers.

Davidsmeyer spoke out about the issues the SAFE-T Act presented on the day it was signed into law.

"Now, police must ticket rather than arrest peeping-toms and trespassers,” Davidsmeyer stated. “Police officers will only be allowed to pursue criminals if they pose an immediate threat to others. If not, they must let them go and hope to find them at a later date."

Davidsmeyer also mentioned local governments would be required to buy body-cameras with no help from the state to pay for them or the required video storage.