Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg and McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim both issued contrasting statements in response to the massive criminal justice reform bill signed by Illinois Gov. Pritzker on Monday.
Prim said in a statement that the legislation package contains sweeping changes and “will have a measurable impact on law enforcement and the public.”
Prim said his department is already in compliance with many of the mandates and will continue to study with a team of attorneys and sheriff leadership.
Prim also added that the law was passed through the legislature “under the cover of darkness, with no ability for additional insight.”
“During my 38 years of service in law enforcement, I have never seen such a blatant move to obstruct an entire, honorable profession that will end up hurting law-abiding citizens the most. I desire the passing of trailer bills that will provide clarity, direction, and will work to repair the consequences of this bill,” he said in the statement.
Idleburg issued a contrasting statement to Lake and McHenry County Scanner and said that the new law contains “some overdue justice reforms.”
Lake County legislators were able to change some of the language during the construction of the bill that would have had a negative impact on law enforcement, Idleburg said.
“I look forward to continue working with our legislators to fine-tune portions of this law to ensure law enforcement can continue to effectively keep our community safe, while protecting the rights of all we serve and increasing the public’s trust,” he said.
Pritzker signed the controversial and sweeping criminal justice reform bill into law on Monday. Parts of the bill will go into effect in July while other parts, like eliminating cash bail, will go into effect in 2023.
House Bill 3653 — formerly House Bill 163 — passed by a 60-50 vote on January 13. The Senate passed the bill by a 32-23 vote.
It will change use-of-force guidelines, require body cameras for every police department in the state, end cash bail, and strip collective bargaining rights relating to discipline from police unions.
Pritzker appeared alongside lawmakers and community advocates at Chicago State University in Chicago to sign the bill.
The legislation, which is the work of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, faced opposition from law enforcement groups and Republican lawmakers.