Sangamon Sun

An omnibus bill is moving through the Illinois House that would completely transform how police officers work in the state.

The bill was referred to Assignments on Jan. 5 and several senators have been added as chief sponsors and alternate sponsors. On Jan. 10, it was placed on the calendar for third reading.  

During a news conference on Sunday, State Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago), a member of the Black Caucus, said the legislation was a long-time coming.

“This has been a 400-year-plus journey that we have been on,” Slaughter said at the news conference, The Pantagraph reported. 

Many police agencies are against the legislation and have spoken out about it.

Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle called the legislation catastrophic, saying it would make it impossible for police officers to make split-second decisions when needed.

Crystal Lake Police Chief James Black said that while he agreed that there should be reform pertaining to force, this bill is not the answer.

“We do not want to be obstructionist; we want to effect positive change in our communities,” Black said, The Pantagraph reported. “But we do not support the bill, the bill will destroy law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe,” he said.

The bill makes an overhaul on force, makes body cameras mandatory, holds officers liable for violations of constitutional rights in civil lawsuits and ends cash bails. 

The bill, which was initially introduced as a prescription monitoring bill, was changed to also include a more than 600-page amendment that revamped the state’s policing practices.

State Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), who first introduced the bill, said she was not even informed there would be changes to revamp the bill.