Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a sweeping police reform bill into law Monday that will end cash bail, allow anonymous complaints against officers, prohibits chokeholds, and require all police to have body cameras by 2025.
House Bill 3653 known as the Police and Criminal Justice Reform Bill has been characterized by some critics as the "anti-police bill."
One of the key components of the bill is the elimination of cash bail by 2023.
Critics say the way the bill is written could put dangerous criminal back on the street by limiting judges' discretion on detaining them.
Supporters say getting rid of cash bail doesn't mean everyone goes free while awaiting trial. Judges make that call based on the threat a defendant poses.
Some Illinois police chiefs say punitive language in the bill makes it difficult for officers to do their jobs, ABC7 reports.
While the bill requires body cameras, it does not allow officers to review their own footage before writing a report, which critics say puts them in an impossible position.
"Now the officer is guilty of misconduct because he left out information that was on the body camera, but it wasn't in the report. According to this bill, he is guilty of a Class 3 felony," said Indian Head Park Police Chief Steven Stelter.
"It's unfortunate," said Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger. "All we needed to do was have the opportunity to explain why something may or may not work, without affecting the spirit of what they were trying to accomplish. Kruger said Illinois chiefs support reform, but were not included in crafting the bill.
One provision in the law prevents officers from tasing someone in the back, but police said they are trained to use the back because it is the safest part of the body."Now you are forcing an officer to only tase someone in the front of their body and who knows, in the heat of the moment they may tase somebody in places they are not supposed to; in the groin, head, neck," Stelter said.
