Naperville's Unity Partnership holds virtual summit on criminal justice reform bill

With a goal of strengthening relationships between police and civilians, a Naperville-based organization is working to provide opportunities to improve but maintain the essence of a controversial criminal justice reform bill signed this week by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The passage of House Bill 3653, known as the "Safe-T Act," was a significant step toward holding law enforcement accountable and ensuring equity in the criminal justice system, said Regina Brent, founder and president of Unity Partnership.

But local police chiefs, state's attorneys and other stakeholders have expressed frustration over not having a seat at the table, she said, evoking concerns that certain aspects of the law could hurt their ability to keep communities safe.

Hoping to bridge the gap, Unity Partnership organized a virtual summit Thursday in which two sponsors of the bill - Democratic state Sens. Elgie Sims and Robert Peters of Chicago - explained its intention and clarified common misconceptions about its contents.

Backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the legislation aims to re-imagine public safety in Illinois through provisions such as abolishing cash bail, changing use-of-force standards and overhauling the police certification process, Sims said.

The goal is to eliminate biases built into the criminal justice system toward class, race and gender, he said, and ensure people are "seen through the lens of their humanity" when they come into contact with police.

"It's about changing our thinking," Sims said. "It's about modernizing what we do and how we do it."

Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said he supports a majority of the concepts outlined in the bill. But he and Lemont Chief Marc Maton said they believe certain ambiguous and inconsistent language needs to be cleaned up, particularly related to mandatory body cameras and use-of-force rules.

"There are things in the bill that I think were unintentional consequences that we should be able to straighten out in order for our officers to do their job effectively and have a safer Illinois and address the concerns you all may have," Kruger said.

Maton requested that lawmakers go through the bill "line by line" with police chiefs and state's attorneys before the bill takes effect July 1.

"We have an obligation to (our officers)," he said. "Regardless of what this ultimate language is, it needs to be clear, unambiguous and easy for them to apply in the field."

Some elements of the bill have a delayed timeline to allow for adequate training, ensure proper funding and give officials a chance to work out logistical details, Sims said. The elimination of cash bail, for example, doesn't take effect until 2023, while the body camera requirement will apply in 2025.

Proponents of the legislation have been working to educate the public and combat common falsehoods, such as the notion that it puts the safety of domestic violence survivors at risk, Peters and Sims said.

Both lawmakers said they're open to continuing discussions that could help strengthen the bill. Unity Partnership also hopes to organize a citizen collaboration board to allow community members to provide their input, Brent said.

"We're not done. The reform movement is just that - it's a journey, not a destination," Sims said. "The passage of House Bill 3653 will allow us to continue on that journey, and we're going to get there because we're going to keep working together."