Metro East Sun

State Sen. Steve McClure (R-Jacksonville) spoke from experience when recently discussing legislation to allow Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) workers more flexibility in protecting themselves while on the job.

“Before I was a state senator, I was the head of the juvenile division here in Sangamon County, so I used to deal with DCFS cases all the time,” McClure said during a recent news conference. "I never was in the field, but I have helped at the UIS training and I was personally confronted just as a prosecutor by a parent whose children we took away from him.”

With two DCFS investigators having been killed on the job in the state over the last 48 months, McClure and fellow state Sen. Sally Turner (R-Beason) are co-sponsoring Senate Bill 4165 which will allow DCFS workers to carry pepper spray on the job. The bill also requires the Illinois State Police to develop a training program for the DCFS staff.

In 2017, DCFS staffer Pamela Knight was severely beaten when she was visiting a Midgeville home to take a two-year-old girl into protective custody. Knight died from her injuries after several months in a coma. Andrew Sucher was charged in the case and eventually signed a plea deal for 21-years in jail with no parole.

According to WQAD, Sucher is now seeking clemency, with Knight’s husband, Don, pushing the governor to deny the request.

State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Sterling) is heading up a group of seven bi-partisan legislators supporting Knight’s request.

“No I don't think he deserves mercy,” McCombie said. “He showed no mercy with Pam.”

Don Knight argues current laws do not go far enough in assuring that DCFS social workers are protected.

“What I want to know is what was his reason for wanting to get out,” he said. “Bottom line for the family is 21 years isn't long enough and there’s no way he should get out any earlier than that.”

McCombie has also reintroduced a bill in the House that would increase protections for DCFS workers. The measure previously passed the House in 2019, but ultimately stalled in the Senate. The bill would increase the sentencing for assaulting a worker on the job to up to ten years, and would make the punishment the same as that administered for an attack of a police officer, firefighter or teacher.

“We don't want people to murder those who are put on the front lines to protect our most vulnerable,” McCombie said. “They need to be punished for that, absolutely need to be punished for that. It’s Pam’s bill, that is a call to protect those who are serving those most vulnerable children and families.”

In January, 36-year-old Diedre Silas was stabbed to death while performing a home visit at a residence in Thayer.

Officers from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office said they arrived at the home to find Silas dead inside with six young children around, none of whom witnessed the attack.

While Barrie Graham told CBS Chicago her daughter loved the work she did, her father, Roy, said he doesn’t believe his daughter is receiving the kind of honors bestowed on other public servants who die in the line of duty.

Police have since charged 32-year-old Benjamin Reed with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

“It is truly tragic that so many DCFS employees have faced and continue to face threats every day,” McClure said. “These workers need to be able to do their jobs. Pepper spray or Mace are commonly used defensive items that many people choose to carry every day all across the state and it’s perfectly legal for them to carry it. DCFS employees currently are not allowed this same right, while they are on the job. This bill will end that prohibition and make sure employees who choose to carry pepper spray know how to do it safely. There is no way to absolutely guarantee the safety of DCFS employees, but this will offer them an additional and important tool.”