McHenry Times

State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) argues the SAFE-T Act has meant nothing but trouble for Illinois.

“The SAFE-T Act has made Illinois a less-safe place to live,” Ugaste said at a recent news conference. “This rushed law is going to let a murderer get off easy. The tragic murder of an innocent bystander and the Cook County grand jury's decision not to indict shooter Travis Andrews on first-degree murder because of the SAFE-T Act highlights what we have been saying all along. It doesn't matter that the woman whose life was cut short was not Andrews' intended victim. He got a gun to kill someone over a perceived slight and a bag of weed and her life was stolen from her.”

Ugaste said he’s at a loss to understand why Democrats stand by the law. He said the policies they passed are leading to spikes in crime and senseless violence.

“There are examples of them outright rebuking our calls for repeal,” he said. “Our caucus has filed legislation to repeal the SAFE-T Act that my colleagues and I are probably sponsoring. Something needs to be done to address violent crime in Illinois, but it is clear that rushing legislation through the general assembly was not the right solution.”

Republicans argue that since the passage of the bill that eliminates the cash bail, changed use-of-force guidelines and triggered a new police certification system while expanding detainee rights, crime has soared across the state, with upticks in retail theft, carjacking and murders.

“We need more Democrats to come forth and join us and say let's change course before more dangerous people get off easy and are back out on the streets after committing serious crimes,” Ugaste said. “Let's change course before more people die. We stand ready to work with the Democrats and craft legislation that will protect our communities and reform our criminal justice system.”

GOP lawmakers have introduced House Bill 4499 to repeal SAFE-T, with House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) charging “Illinois has become the wild, wild Midwest.”

Republicans also argue tweaks to an already passed measure diluting some of the use-of-force language in the original legislation aren’t enough, with state Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) lamenting SAFE-T has already led to a wave of officer resignations.

The Legislative Black Caucus, who supported the bill, issued a statement after the Republicans' press conference, defending the measure. “Many provisions of the SAFE-T Act have not even gone into effect yet, proving the Republican gambit is all for show.”