Sen. McConchie Will Vote Against Bill Making Changes To Local Law Enforcement, Justice System

Press release from the Village of Barrington:

News from Sen. McConchie Happening Now In Springfield

Major legislation that police chiefs across the state are categorizing as effectively defunding the police is making its way through the General Assembly during the lame-duck session, which is currently underway. This bill is threatening the law enforcement profession as we know it.

House Bill 163 has several concerning components, including:

• Effectively Defunds the Police: Essentially defunds the police by imposing several unfunded mandates on police departments and imposes funding cuts if all the mandates are not met. This will result in either property tax increases to cover the costs or less police officers on the streets.
• Eliminates Cash Bail: Completely gets rid of the cash bail program, which poses a significant threat to victims, witnesses and the public at large.
• Limits Use of Force: Bans commonly used police tactics to restrain violent suspects.

We all agree that we need to hold bad actors in every profession accountable, especially those we trust with enforcing the law. We cannot, however, move forward with legislation that tilts the balance of our criminal justice system so heavily toward criminals. We can’t twist our legal system into something where police officers are made to be the enemy of the people.

It is for these reasons that I plan to vote “NO” on this proposal as it has been presented.

This press release was produced by the Village of Barrington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.