Republican state Rep. Deanne Mazzochi laments democrats have become their own worst enemies in their push for police reform.
“I think many people are interested in certain police reform measures and some would have bipartisan support, but this bill is riddled with so many poison pills it would leave our residents unsafe and I can’t support that,” Mazzochi told the DuPage Policy Journal. “This would be a total disaster for Illinois.”
House Bill 163, also known as the Criminal Justice Reform Bill, seeks to enact such changes as outlawing cash bails and chokeholds and prohibiting pre-trial detention.
With the strong support of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the bill would also expand police reform on use of force, crisis training and prohibit pre-trial detention. The proposed reforms have been a work in progress ever since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police last summer. Finally, it also includes mandating the use of body cameras across the state by 2025 and the use of special prosecutors in police-involved killings.
Even as the issue of police reform remains a red-hot topic across Illinois, Mazzochi argues HB 163 is a bridge too far for many.
“If lawmakers vote for what their districts want and need to stay safe, the bill should go back and these kinds of major policies should go through a process where they can emerge with bipartisan support. As it stands right now, this is a very Chicago-centric bill.”
Mazzochi said her list of issues with the bill are virtually too many to count.
“The largest one is that this is a major policy change that is being rushed through by House Speaker Madigan not because it’s good policy but because it is good policy for him in his effort to wins votes in his reelection run.”
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