Republican Leaders Introduce Legislation to Fix Deadly SAFE-T Act

Today Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (Savanna) and Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (Downers Grove) filed identical legislation to keep violent criminals from continuing to commit violent offenses while on pre-trial release and ankle monitoring.

"Let's be clear: this law is not working the way it was promised," said House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. "No law should prioritize process over protection. If loopholes exist, they must be closed. If policies fall short, they must be fixed. Preventable harm is unacceptable and that is why we are bringing this serious legislative solution forward."

In response to the recent murder and critical injury of two Chicago Police Officers, the Republican leaders filed Senate Bill 4195 and House Bill 5757. This legislation makes a commonsense amendment to the Pre Trial Fairness Act that requires that anyone arrested for a felony while on pretrial release and ankle monitoring to be detained until the charges are resolved.

Current law is permissive and allows for pretrial release to be revoked but does not require it, potentially leading to violent offenders being let out again and again.

"Any society where killing law enforcement is not taken seriously is not a functioning, safe, democratic society," said Senate Republican Leader John Curran. "This simple change will not only help prevent future victims, it will also help prevent offenders from committing more crimes while on release and will instead give them a chance to deal with their current charges and, hopefully, get the rehabilitation they need."

Leader McCombie pointed to several cases where offenders committed new violent crimes while on pre-trial release including Lawrence Reed who allegedly set a woman on fire on a Chicago train, Tommie Carter, who attempted to kill a man by pushing him onto CTA tracks as a train approached, and most recently Alphanso Talley who has been charged with murdering Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and gravely injuring another officer.

The leaders have filed legislation in their respective chambers and will be pushing their colleagues to join them in pursuing this vital legislative fix.