At a press conference Monday, Democrats spoke about how law enforcement officers are too often incentivized to retire rather than stay on the force and train new recruits.
They’re proposing legislation that would keep older, more experienced officers on the team, both building relationships with the communities they serve and helping new officers start their careers.
HB1568 (Vella) is legislation that came out of the General Assembly’s public safety working group that would both incentivize police training at Illinois community colleges, but also help retain talent that can pass their experience onto younger officers, helping alleviate the “brain drain” that many departments are facing.
“We don't want people to leave, we want them to stay with all the new people who'll be coming in, through our community colleges. We don't want a brain drain. We want officers to stay and train these young officers,” said Rep. Dave Vella (D-Loves Park).
HB4228 (Hoffman) would require that sheriff salaries be at least equal to 80 percent of county state’s attorney salaries. Sponsors said that there are too often vast discrepancies between law enforcement and professional pay in parts of the state.
“Every minute of every day, policemen and women work to protect us. They catch criminals, they break down their networks, and ensure justice is served against those who violate the law. And they continue to keep order in our communities. It's the job they signed up for,” said Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Maryville).
HB3893 (Lilly) would “extend a sunset date to allow investigators to continue recording conversations for qualified sex or drug offenses from January 1 to 2023 until January 1 2027,” according to Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign). HB4608 (Delgado) “would allow for video retention for evidentiary value and allow grant funds to be used for data storage costs.” HB4364 (Tarver) would allow the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide grant funding to county jail programs to help address substance abuse among the incarcerated.
“There are very few jobs that take such a heavy toll on one's mental health than being a first responder. Add to it a really significant stigma overall that we are dealing with in this country related to mental health, and I would say that that stigma is even more intense when it comes to first responders and law enforcement,” said Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago).
HB1321 (LaPointe) would create a grant program to help support behavioral health services to first responders like police and EMS workers.
“Mental health has to continue to be a priority for everyone in Illinois, but particularly for first responders who have faced barriers over the years. It has to continue to be a priority. We've overlooked this for too long. At this critical moment, if we give it the attention it deserves, I know that we can help officers, firefighters, and law enforcement officers all around the state achieve a much higher quality of life,” LaPointe said.
Jim Kaitschuk, executive director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, said he supported the democrats’ proposals.
“Our statewide average for vacancies right now is approximately 20%. This includes dispatchers, correctional officers, deputies, officers and sheriffs. This past year alone we've lost 18 sheriffs. Demands and expectations on law enforcement continued to increase. Unfortunately, the funding to support these new demands has not always coincided with those new responsibilities. These proposals will certainly assist us in recognizing the importance of the roles and provide them with some much needed support,” he said.
Allison Richard
Legislative Consultant
