Kendall County state’s attorney opposed to state criminal justice reform bill

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis has stated his opposition to H.B. 163, a criminal justice reform bill aimed at reigning in police officers that is under consideration by the Illinois General Assembly.

In an email to local media sent Friday, Jan. 8, Weis said he fully supports a statement by the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association saying that the bill would “profoundly undermine public safety and overturn long-standing common-sense policies and practices in the criminal justice system.”

“We respect the efforts of the legislation and while we have concerns with aspects of the proposal, we do not take issue with the well-meant intentions of the effort,” the association for state’s attorneys said in a news release.

Members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus introduced the 600-page amendment to a house bill on Tuesday, Jan. 5. The legislation intends to curb the use of force by police officers, end qualified immunity for officers accused of violating human rights and eliminate cash bail as a requirement for pretrial release.

Under the bill, officers would be barred from using force against a fleeing subject, unless the person has harmed or tried to harm another person, has a deadly weapon or cannot be apprehended safely at another time. The bill also bans chokeholds and restraining someone above their shoulders.

“We do agree that some criminal justice reforms are necessary in the wake of a year where we experienced an enormous increase in murders and armed carjackings, we are willing to work with the General Assembly in attaining such common-sense reforms,” the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association said in its release. “The proposed amendment in H.B. 163 however, simply go too far.”