Lake County Gazette

State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) is as clear on his position in the defund the police debate as he is in expressing his views about Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Failed governor and tax-raiser J.B. Pritzker is constantly on national TV promoting his comical and far-left 2024 presidential campaign,” McSweeney told the Lake County Gazette. “Where does Pritzker stand on defunding the police in Illinois? I’m a 'Hell, no.'”

The great debate on the issue of doing away with police departments stems most recently from the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, sparking protests and violence across the country. Minneapolis City Council members were among the early supporters of the push to permanently do away with their city's Police Department, and the idea quickly gained the support of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and, more recently, the leaders of the Chicago Public Schools.

As the lines are becoming more clearly drawn, Pritzker has recently sought to take a stance, telling the Chicago Tribune what he thinks frustrated citizens truly want is real change.

“They want fundamental change in the way that police operate,” he said. “You have to think about, what are the methods by which people can be disciplined if they’re not going to get disciplined by their own police departments, if the investigations are taking place by a police department that may not want to hold some of their officers accountable for the kind of behavior that I think we would all find reprehensible.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of Congressional Black Caucus members have called for a special session to deal with the issue of police accountability and social justice, but thus far legislative leaders have been noncommittal.