Rep. Halbrook: Police-Reform bill is anything but reform

Shelbyville, IL…The Illinois House today approved a measure State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) says will make communities more dangerous.

“This legislation is being billed as police reform, but the reality is that it is anything but reform,” Halbrook said. “This bill will make communities less safe and will make it more costly for police departments to keep communities safe. This legislation is beyond irresponsible.”

The House approved HB 3653 with the minimum number of votes to pass a bill (60) after the Senate approved the measure a little before 5 in the morning.

While the current legislation does not include the controversial ban on qualified immunity, it does include many other dangerous policy changes. HB 3653 eliminates cash bail within two years; further restricts the use of deadly force; eliminates the signed affidavit of complaint to expedite the decertification of officers; places limitations on police departments in the purchase of specialized tactical gear and finally it mandates all police officers to wear body cameras by 2025.

“I am not opposed to having a serious debate on police reforms, but what happened here was not an honest debate,” Halbrook said. “This legislation was rammed through at the last minute and virtually no time was given to thoroughly vet this legislation. We had mere hours to comb through a 700-page bill and we were only given about 40 minutes to ask questions about it on the House floor. This is a clear example of why so many have lost faith in our institutions. There was no reason to rush this bill. There was no reason to silence the voice of the hundreds of thousands of citizens who stand with law enforcement against this bill.”