The Joliet police chief criticized the SAFE-T Act after the arrest of a man with six open felony cases who was released from jail three times under the cash bail system and two times under the cashless bail system.

Jesus Zambrano, 35, was arrested on Thursday following the execution of a search warrant that led to the discovery of multiple firearms, ammunition and drugs inside of a North Raynor Avenue residence, according to a statement from the Joliet Police Department.

Zambrano had been on pretrial release for multiple past charges and he was wearing an ankle monitoring device at the time of the search warrant, police said.

Zambrano was arrested on probable cause of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and violation of pretrial release.

In a statement, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans said he found Zambrano’s arrest “deeply troubling” not just because of what was discovered during the search but what his arrest “represented.”

“Zambrano is a dangerous person who has repeatedly demonstrated that he has no regard for the law or for human life. The Illinois SAFE-T Act is broken, and it is not making our community safer. It is creating a revolving door that puts the same violent offenders back into the community, while our officers and residents pay the price,” Evans said.

Will County court records show six open felony cases and four open traffic cases filed against Zambrano.

Four of those open felony cases were filed between 2021 and 2022, before the elimination of cash bail in Illinois under the pretrial provision of the SAFE-T Act on Sept. 18, 2023.

Some of the charges in those cases included aggravated battery with a firearm and harassment of a witness.

Zambrano secured his release from jail in those four cases because a Will County judge would lower the initial bond amount, court records show.

In 2023, after the implementation of cashless bail, Zambrano was charged with drug and firearm offenses.

A judge granted prosecutors’ request to keep Zambrano in jail under the SAFE-T Act.

But then on Dec. 15, 2023, Zambrano was allowed pretrial release on electronic home monitoring, court records show.

In 2024, Zambrano was charged with more firearm offenses. Once again, a judge granted prosecutors’ request to keep Zambrano in jail.

That decision was reversed on Jan. 24, 2025, when Zambrano was granted pretrial release on electronic monitoring, court records show.

Evans said “despite a broken system that repeatedly undermines public safety,” his officers show up every day, answering the calls and put themselves in harm’s way.

Last year, Joliet had only two homicides, the lowest in six years.

Evans spoke about the reduction in crime in the city before the Joliet City Council last year.

He said there was a 37% reduction in the number of shootings, an almost 50% percent reduction in aggravated batteries, an almost 45% reduction in aggravated discharge of a firearms and an almost 15% reduction in robberies.