State Representative Chris Miller of the 110th District. Photo submitted by State Representative Chris Miller's office.
For Immediate Release, September 20, 2022
Op-ed by State Representative Chris Miller
“SAFE-T Act more dangerous than anyone ever realized”
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski recently told the Economic Club of Chicago that “our city is in crisis.”
And he is right.
This year has seen an 18% increase in robberies, a 28% spike in the number of burglaries, a 65% hike in thefts, and a 66% jump in motor vehicle thefts.
What we are witnessing is a direct result of the Democrats’ poor policy decisions. For instance, a recent mugging in broad daylight in Chicago has received national media attention primarily because of what happened after the incident. Not long after surveillance cameras caught the mugging, police officers spotted the suspects in their getaway car but then tragically were ordered to stand down to comply with Chicago’s vehicle pursuit rules.
What we are seeing is the consequences of the JB Pritzker/Lori Lightfoot soft on crime policies. Armed robbers are terrorizing innocent people not because the police can’t catch them but because the police aren’t ALLOWED to catch them.
Our citizens are in real danger because of the inept policies of the three stooges of criminal justice – JB Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, and Kim Foxx.
Thanks to their terrible policies such as the foot and vehicle pursuit policies in Chicago, the lack of criminal prosecutions in Cook County and the Governor’s signature soft on crime SAFE-T Act, our communities are less safe.
How many 50-year-old women have to be held at gunpoint before we take this problem seriously?
How many more teams of armed robbers working our neighborhoods are we going to allow before taking action to protect our residents?
How many more innocent people have to be victims of crime before we cancel the horrific policies emboldening criminals?
We need new leaders, and we need new laws. Specifically, we need to repeal the SAFE-T Act. When I voted against this terrible legislation, I knew it was bad policy, but I did not realize just how bad it actually is.
Here is what banning cash bail means according to the SAFE-T Act. It means anyone taken into custody for such offenses as Aggravated Battery; Aggravated DUI; Arson; Burglary; Drug-Induced Homicide; Kidnapping; Robbery; 2nd-Degree Murder; and Threatening a Public Official will be let go with only a promise to appear at a court date.
Starting in January, cash bail will come to an end in Illinois, and we have to ask ourselves are we more or less safe with kidnappers, arsonists, and robbers roaming the streets or behind bars awaiting their trial?
Obviously not everyone charged with a crime is guilty nor are they automatically a threat to our communities but many of them are. There is no question ending cash bail will lead to more criminals on the streets and ultimately more crime and studies bear this out.
A recent University of Utah examined Cook County bail reforms and found that the number of released defendants charged with committing new crimes increased by 45% and the number of released defendants who committed violent crimes increased by 33%.
We have the data. We know what happens when politicians enact soft on crime legislation. We get more crime. Alaska had their own version of the SAFE-T Act before Pritzker signed his signature legislation into law. The Alaska law was so unpopular, Gov. Mike Dunleavy was elected because he made repealing the law the basis of his entire campaign.
We should not be surprised by this. People want to live in safe communities, and they understand that keeping our communities safe is the most important function of government. Crime is on the rise in Illinois thanks to Gov. Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, and Kim Foxx’s deliberate dismantling of our justice system. We must save our state and protect our citizens. We must repeal the Safe-T Act.
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