Dupage Policy Journal

Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) said a new law will allow Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) employees to carry pepper spray for self-defense.

"DCFS workers will soon be allowed to carry pepper spray while on duty to protect themselves in potentially dangerous situations," Grant posted on Facebook.

Gov. Pritzker recently signed Senate Bill 1486 into law, allowing employees of Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to carry pepper spray for self-defense while on duty, News Channel 20 reported. Adults can legally carry pepper spray in the state, but DCFS workers were previously barred from doing so while on duty. The legislation was prompted by the murders of two DCFS workers.

DCFS employee Pamela Knight was sent to Andrew Sucher's home in 2017 to take a 2-year-old into protective custody when Sucher attacked Knight, according to WQAD. Sucher beat Knight so severely, she was in a coma, and she eventually died. Sucher signed a plea deal, agreeing to 21 years in prison with no parole. Knight's husband expressed his view that DCFS workers were not adequately protected under the law.

In January, DCFS employee Deidre Silas was conducting a child welfare investigation in Thayer when she was stabbed to death, CBS Chicago reported. Six children under the age of 8 were present in the home at the time. Benjamin Reed has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

"Today, the State of Illinois mourns the loss of Deidre Silas, a DCFS caseworker and a hero, taken from us in the line of duty," Pritzker said in a statement. "There is no higher calling than the work to keep children and families safe, and Deidre lived that value every single day," Pritzker said in a statement. "Our most vulnerable are safer because she chose to serve. I can think of no more profound legacy. MK and I send our deepest condolences to her colleagues at DCFS, her family, and all who loved her."