McHenry Times

Illinois Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Southwood recently provided a statement on the legislative package that Senate Republicans introduced that contains provisions designed to support law enforcement officers and deter criminals.

The legislation includes grants of $125 million per year for local governments to hire and retain police officers and fund training and equipment. The legislation stipulates that defendants who commit aggravated battery against a police officer must serve at least 85% of their sentences. The legislation would also crack down on illegal firearms, setting a minimum sentence of 10 years for anyone who supplies convicted felons with firearms, as well as setting a minimum mandatory sentence for straw purchasing and gun trafficking.

“I’d like to thank the Senate Republicans for putting forward this anti-crime legislative package," Southwood said in a statement. "I think it’s important to note that this is the second time they have put forward this type of legislation. Sadly, if the majority party had listened the first time, perhaps we could have avoided some of the senseless tragedies that have occurred, such as Dec. 29, when we lost two of our finest: Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Riley, who was responding to a motorist assist, and Bradley Police Officer Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, responding to a barking dog complaint."

Riley was murdered while on duty early in the morning of Dec. 29 responding a motorist-assist call.

On the evening of Dec. 29, Rittmanic was killed and another officer was wounded while responding to a call at the Comfort Inn in Kankakee. 

Suspects have been charged in both incidents.

"These officers weren’t just killed in the line of duty, they were executed," Southwood said in the statement. "Enough. Enough of the war on police here in Illinois."

The legislation sets a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for first-time offenders charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, using an illegal or stolen firearm when committing a crime, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, or aggravated carjacking.

"Our current system – under the ‘anything but’ SAFE-T Act – is failing all of us," Southwood said in the statement. "Violent crime is surging unchecked in our communities all across the state. Enough. This legislative package, if passed, could be the beginning of a safer Illinois for all of us: citizens and public safety professionals alike."

State Sen. Don DeWitte (R-West Dundee) responded to Southwood's statement in a Facebook post saying, “Fraternal Order of Police President Chris Southwood hit the nail on the head with these comments on crime and public safety.”

The bill sets a life sentence for second-time offenders. The legislation also stipulates that juveniles charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking or armed robbery with a firearm would automatically be transferred to an adult court, and require a shelter care hearing to determine whether the juvenile should be released or whether they need to be held until the adjudicatory hearing.

According to WTTW, the Chicago Police Department Vehicular Hijacking Task Force made 142 arrests related to carjackings in Jan. 2022. This January was the fourth-deadliest January the city has seen since 2000, with 219 people shot, 48 people murdered, and 791 guns recovered.