Lake County Gazette

A former Republican state House candidate said that the adoption of a criminal justice reform bill by Illinois lawmakers might lead to police officers leaving the state.

“This opens the door for police officers to join the exodus of people now leaving Illinois,” Jim Walsh told the Lake County Gazette. “And that will only make our streets and communities more dangerous.”

The Democratic-led reform bill received approval in both legislative chambers in mid-January and needs Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature before it is the law.

The legislation has several reforms, including ending cash bail and requiring police officers to wear body cameras. However, there are no penalties if a municipality doesn’t comply with the body camera mandate.

The bill’s late timing has rankled some Republicans, given its approval happened at the 11th hour before the 102nd General Assembly came into power.

“The way this thing was pushed through is absolute garbage,” he said. “We’re talking about a 700-page bill where members only had an hour to read it before being forced to take a vote. It’s so much wrapped up in this. I’ve always said a bill should be focused on one central thing at a time before it gets passed.”

In the case of the new crime reform bill, Walsh said it wouldn’t solve the problems legislators designed it to address.

“In many cases, police have to interact in areas where crime has become systemic, and this bill does nothing to address those issues,” he said. “Beyond that, I think it ties the hands of law enforcement and stands to make it more difficult to recruit officers because of everything they have to deal with.”

Lawmakers pushed forward with the reform legislation following the multiple deaths of Black Americans by police officers recently, including the high-profile incidents of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and Breonna Taylor, who was shot by police in her Louisville, Kentucky home.