{"id":35820,"date":"2022-09-18T23:23:27","date_gmt":"2022-09-18T23:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/?p=35820"},"modified":"2022-09-18T23:23:27","modified_gmt":"2022-09-18T23:23:27","slug":"top-cop-slams-illinois-safe-t-act-dubbed-purge-law-as-social-experiment-hits-out-on-48-hour-gap-for-missing-perps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjstudents.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/18\/top-cop-slams-illinois-safe-t-act-dubbed-purge-law-as-social-experiment-hits-out-on-48-hour-gap-for-missing-perps\/","title":{"rendered":"Top cop slams Illinois SAFE-T Act – dubbed ‘Purge Law’ – as social experiment, hits out on 48 hour gap for missing perps"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A FORMER police chief said the controversial “Purge law” will put people’s lives at risk and doesn’t want it used as a social experiment for bail reform.<\/p>\n

The Illinois law includes a state-wide end to cash bail <\/a>starting January 1, 2023 and a provision that prevents cops from searching for missing offenders until 48 hours after they’re in violation. <\/p>\n

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Former Riverside, Illinois Police Chief Tom Wietzel said he doesn’t want his state to be a social experiment for ending cash bail<\/span>Credit: Supplied<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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llinois’ SAFE-T Act has been nicknamed ‘The Purge law’ on social media after the movie<\/span>Credit: Alamy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both changes are part of sweeping, justice-reform law called the\u00a0SAFE-T Act<\/a>\u00a0(Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today), which social media has referred to as “The Purge law.”<\/p>\n

One hundred of Illinois’ 102 county prosecutors opposed the bill, and police were never consulted before it passed, former Riverside Police Chief Tom Wietzel told The U.S. Sun.<\/p>\n

“We told them this wasn’t a good idea,” said Wietzel, who retired in May 2021 after nearly four decades in law enforcement that included surviving a shotgun blast to the chest. <\/p>\n

“I think it was just a knee\u00a0jerk reaction to what happened in Minneapolis, and the politicians want to say Illinois is the first state to end cash bail.”<\/p>\n

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A\u00a0few cities across the US have implemented various degrees of bail reform, but this law is the most drastic because it’s statewide and includes violent crimes like murder and kidnapping.<\/p>\n

Loyola University of Chicago and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will evaluate the changes made by the Act.<\/p>\n

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“I don’t want Illinois to be a social experiment.”<\/p>\n

Former police chief Tom Wietzel <\/span><\/cite><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“I don’t want Illinois to be a social experiment,” Weitzel said. “And you don’t experiment with criminal justice. Lives are risk.”<\/p>\n

Weitzel noted that law enforcement feedback is again excluded from the study and shows “disrespect” towards the cops who make the arrests and are directly impacted by the law. <\/p>\n

“If they don’t include police officers themselves and\/or police chiefs, in my opinion, the report and analysis would be flawed,” Riverside’s retired top cop said. <\/p>\n

The evaluation summary doesn’t mention specific benchmarks to determine the provision’s success or failure. <\/p>\n

PENDULUM SWING<\/h2>\n

Since the world watched George Floyd’s murder under the knee of a disgraced former cop, the pendulum drastically swung towards police reform.<\/p>\n

The result has brought about some positive changes, which Weitzel noted is included in the legislation, such as body cameras and new training.<\/p>\n

But the downside has been a more hands-off approach towards crime, which has surged in most major cities across the US in recent years. <\/p>\n

In Chicago, the number of murders jumped from 361 in 2019 to 536 in 2020 to 565 in 2021, according to Chicago police’s last crime stats<\/a>. So far in 2022, there are 479 murders. <\/p>\n

“The pendulum always swings from one extreme to the other and then swings back,” Wietzel said. <\/p>\n

“But if we don’t take action, the pendulum might not swing back to public safety.”<\/p>\n

48 HOUR HEAD START<\/h2>\n

The other issue Weitzel sees with the 800-page legislation is the changes to the electronic monitoring system, which is already in effect.<\/p>\n

Suspects with GPS ankle monitors are not considered to be in violation until they’re missing for 48 hours, which starts after police confirm they’re unaccounted for.<\/p>\n

“That can be a week or more before police realize someone is gone. And then the 48 hour clock starts,” Weitzel said.<\/p>\n

“All three of my sons are police officers, and they’ve made more arrests for serious crimes to DUIs where the suspect has the electronic\u00a0bracelet on their ankles,” he said. <\/p>\n

“It shows they’re still committing crimes.”<\/p>\n

CWB Chicago<\/a>, a local outlet, has been cracking the number of shootings committed by defendants while in the electronic monitoring placement program. <\/p>\n

On Thursday, the outlet reported that a suspect accused of murder is the “37th person accused of killing or shooting\u2014or attempting to kill or shoot\u2014someone in Chicago while awaiting trial for a felony this year.”<\/p>\n

The U.S. Sun filed a public information request for data pertaining to the electronic monitoring placement program throughout the state.<\/p>\n

THE SAFE-T ACT DIVIDE<\/h2>\n

Supporters and opponents of the law have generally been divided along political party lines.<\/p>\n

Many Republicans have argued that it will increase the number of crimes; while Democrats argue the current bail system discriminates against people of color.<\/p>\n

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker addressed the law’s opponents in a Wednesday morning tweet.<\/p>\n

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“Misinformation spreads like wildfire, and there are ugly lies making the rounds about the SAFE-T Act,” he said.<\/p>\n

“This law does not mandate the release of defendants or create ‘non-detainable offenses.’ Defendants are eligible for pre-trial release based on their risk, not their bank accounts. Learn more.”<\/p>\n

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There are fears that prisoners in Illinois will be released as part of the state’s SAFE-T Act<\/span>Credit: Getty Images – Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n