State Sen. Craig Wilcox | Contributed photo
State Sen. Craig Wilcox | Contributed photo
State Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) is looking for clarity before taking a definitive position in the growing defund the police debate.
“Like many, I’m curious what’s meant by that rallying cry,” Wilcox told the Will County Gazzette. “Certainly, I think there are reforms that need to be addressed. For example, if (Chicago Police Department) is involved in a shooting the officer gets sequestered for 24 hours than gets to watch video of the shooting if he wants to change his story, whereas a resident involved in a shooting has to answer for it right away. Those are things that I think should certainly be discussed in terms of making sure we’re being fair.”
The Democrats' movement to rid the country of police departments across the country has picked up steam following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, sparking protests and violence across the country. Minneapolis City Council members were among the first to broach the possibility of permanently doing away with their city's Police Department, and the idea quickly gained the support of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and the leaders of the Chicago Public Schools.
More recently, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has raised his voice on the issue, insisting what he thinks frustrated residents really want is real change.
“They want fundamental change in the way that police operate,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “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.”
Wilcox said he looks forward to being part of the conversation, though he doesn’t seem sure that Pritzker or Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot should be ones leading the debate.
“The governor and the mayor both seem to have a problem with their words and actions always being aligned with one another,” he said.
Alerts Sign-up