Police officer deaths are down, but the news is still not good in Illinois

Good news this week from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund: The number of law enforcement officers who died last year as a result of their duties fell 18% from 2018.

But it's painful to see Illinois fifth on the list among states with police fatalities, with six in 2019. And two of them came as a result of one of the few causes of law enforcement deaths that were on the rise - officers being struck by a vehicle while working outside their patrol cars.

According to the fund's annual fatality report, 17 officers died that way in 2019, up 21% from the previous year. They include Illinois State Police Trooper Christopher Lambert of Highland Park, killed Jan. 12 by a car trying to drive around an accident scene on I-294 near Northbrook, and Trooper Brooke Jones-Story, struck March 28 while out of her vehicle on a traffic stop near Freeport.

Their deaths, and a rash of roadside crashes involving state troopers, prompted renewed efforts across the state to educate drivers about Scott's Law, aka the Move Over Law, and punish offenders.

Named after a Chicago firefighter killed by a drunken driver on the scene of a crash along the Bishop Ford Freeway, the law requires drivers to slow down and, if possible, change lanes, when approaching an emergency vehicle pulled over with lights flashing.

If concern for officer safety doesn't motivate you to move over, the state is giving drivers another reason to pay attention this year. As of Wednesday, the fine for violating Scott's Law went up to $250 from $100 for first-time offenders, and up to $750 for subsequent offenses.

A violation that results in a death is now a Class 2 felony, which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison.

Another change: Fines collected from those violations will go to a Scott's Law Fund and pay for driver education materials.

More from the report

While Illinois suffered six law enforcement deaths in 2019, 17 states and the District of Columbia reported no officer losses.

The youngest officer was 19, and the oldest 81. One officer died of complications after surgery related to a gunshot wound he suffered in 1981.

Gun-related deaths led the list, with traffic-related fatalities a close second.

Joining Lambert and Jones-Story among the Illinois officers are Illinois State Police Trooper Gerald Ellis of Antioch, killed by a wrong-way driver on I-94 near Green Oaks, and McHenry County sheriff's Deputy Jacob Keltner of Crystal Lake, who was shot to death while trying to apprehend a man wanted on burglary warrants.

It's worth noting that it could have been much worse. Five Aurora police officers were shot in February responding to a mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Co. in Aurora, but all were fortunate enough to survive.

And despite the national decline, the memorial fund isn't exactly celebrating.

"While we're certainly pleased to see a decline in the number of officer line-of-duty-deaths this year, the reality is that more than a hundred officers lost their lives," said Marcia Ferranto, the organization's CEO. "That means we've still got a great deal of work to do."

To see the full report online, visit wwww.nleomf.org/.

More new laws

Along with the changes to Scott's Law, a host of new and amended statutes took effect this week. They include:

• The statute of limitations on criminal sexual assault or abuse was eliminated.

• Animal kennels that leave animals unattended must have fire alarms or sprinklers. It was prompted by the death of 29 dogs in a fire at a kennel in Carol Stream.

• You can't watch a video on your cellphone while you are driving.

• The Tamara Clayton Act calls for placing more cameras on highways and tollways in Cook County, and says police can use the footage to investigate gun crimes as well as traffic incidents and road hazards. Clayton, a postal worker, was shot on I-57 as she drove to work.

• It's now an aggravated crime to assault or beat someone in a place of worship.

• The statute of limitations on prosecuting people for conducting female genital mutilation, if the victim was under the age of 18 when the act was done, is now gone.

Who's locked up?

Ever wonder who's in jail, why and for how long?

Now you can find out through an innovative web tool the Lake County sheriff's office is making available to the public.

Created through a partnership with Loyola University, the online dashboard details the daily and monthly jail population, and provides demographic data such as race, ethnicity, gender and age. Viewers also can see what type of charge inmates are being held on and whether they're behind bars awaiting trial, serving a sentence or being held for U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Officials say the initiative was undertaken after listening to input from the public and community partners, including the recently created Lake County Criminal Justice Citizen's Council. Sharing the data will increase transparency and provide vital information to government and community organizations to identify solutions to recidivism, officials said.

"The community has been asking for these data sets for years, and I am happy to make it happen," Sheriff John Idleburg said in an announcement of the program. " While we are not responsible for the charges many of our inmates are being held on, I believe the community should have the demographic information about who is being held in custody and why."

To access the data, visit: www.lakecountyil.gov/sheriff or https://public.tableau.com/profile/loyola.lake.county#!/vizhome/LakeCountyJailDashboardVersion/Dashboard2.

• Have a question, tip or comment? Email us at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com.