A member of the Illinois Sheriff’s Association Legislative Committee and a Sheriff in southern Illinois says lawmakers will be discussing a new bill that would have major implications for the future of law enforcement and communities they serve.
Jefferson County (Mt. Vernon, IL) Sheriff Jeff Bullard says this bill allows officers to be punished or fired based on anonymous, unsubstantiated or unverifiable complaints, essentially eliminating due process for law enforcement. He says this bill also eliminates cash bail which could have implications on the safety of a community when an offender is allowed to leave custody.
The 611 page House Bill 163 would - according to the Illinois Sheriff's Association - "eliminate law enforcement as we know it from every community in the state" to "invalidate constitutionally protected due process of officers".