Metro East Sun

Illinois House Republicans are calling for the repeal of the criminal justice and police reform bill passed last year known as the SAFE-T Act. Among other measures, the Democratic-backed legislation includes provisions for ending the cash bail system and addressing police misconduct.

State Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) recently spoke in favor of repealing the legislation while voicing support for police officers.

"Deputy Sheriff Sean Riley from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department was shot to death when he stopped for what he thought was a distressed motorist," Bryant said. "He was shot and then his body was thrown into a ditch. That’s just a few miles away from where my daughter and my grandchildren live and where my son-in-law's served as a deputy sheriff for Jefferson County for several years."

"Today I don't know if my son-in-law would ever go back to law enforcement again," Bryant said. "And that's because of the way we treat our law enforcement officers. I stand here today in support of what they do for us and the fact that they put their lives on the line for us."

Bryant said that police departments across the state are facing vacancy rates upwards of 20%.

Republicans blame the SAFE-T Act for rising crime rates in the state and are urging voters to make their voices heard and sign a petition they started in support of the repeal.

"Last January, the Democrats pushed through sweeping changes to our criminal justice system," Bryant said. "They pushed through those changes in the middle of the night without public or law enforcement input and a year later we can safely say that their 'my way or the highway' approach has failed. Our law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to keep us safe were cut completely out of the process. The governor and his legislative allies sent a clear signal: the voice of law enforcement were not welcome at the table."

Illinois’ Legislative Black Caucus have spoke in favor of the bill. They  released a statement that said Republicans' complaints are unfounded since many provisions of the SAFE-T Act have not even gone into effect yet. The caucus said Democrats are working with local law enforcement, the Illinois State Police, and community leaders to make changes to the bill to make the state safer