Dupage Policy Journal

State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) recently hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the Wood River Police Department.

And the veteran lawmaker didn’t hold back, at one point declaring “the Illinois Democrats place the criminal class ahead of the working class and also ahead of law enforcement.”

The gathering came in the wake of the recent passage of criminal justice and police reform bills put forth this year.

Durkin was joined at the gathering by Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine and state Reps. Amy Elik (R-Fosterburg), Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) and Charles Meier (R-Okawville).

Durkin further blasted the bill as an “abomination” and “one of the most destructive things I have witnessed in my many years in Springfield.”

Known as the “Safe-T-Act,” House Bill 363 also seeks to end the use of cash bail over roughly the next two years by 2023 and grants increased oversight of police agencies statewide.

“We are not against reform,” Durkin said. “We believe that every aspect of state government needs to be improved. What I saw in that bill was not reform.”

Durkin’s stop in Wood River is part of his ongoing statewide tour aimed at outlining what he believes will be the bill’s effect on policing and how that stands to impact the overall state of public safety across the state.

Durkin added the level of crime he has seen in Chicago alone over the last two years is like nothing he’s ever seen before.

“People in Chicago are scared, and they have every reason to be scared,” he said.

Alton Police Chief Marcos Pulido said he worries what it could mean to the profession as a whole.

“It’s still an honorable and noble profession,” he said. “Most of us who have entered this profession know the integrity and accountability you must have.”

Pulido said that over the years little concern has been expressed about police officers’ mental health and wellness.

“You add the anti-police sentiment going on nationwide – it can have an effect on a person,” he said.