Welter issues statement on proposed police reform legislation

MORRIS – State Rep. David Allen Welter, R-Morris, spoke out Thursday in opposition to a newly proposed amendment to House Bill 163 expected to be considered during the lame-duck legislative session that began Friday.

The bill, which was proposed by the state Legislative Black Caucus, is the culmination of efforts by lawmakers to enact sweeping police reform after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in May 2020 by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The proposed legislation would end cash bail; expand use-of-force and crisis training for police officers; prohibit chokeholds; and require the use of body cameras statewide by 2025, the maintenance of police misconduct records and the use of special prosecutors in officer-involved deaths, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The bill has received widespread opposition from law enforcement agencies, which have asserted that it threatens public safety in Illinois.

“The so-called ‘reforms’ that are part of House Bill 163 as amended would destroy law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe,” the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition said in a statement, saying that the bill was crafted without input from law enforcement agencies and, therefore, “the long-term unintended consequences of this legislation would be dire.”

The Black Caucus responded in a statement saying it had several “subject matter expert hearings ... during which members of law enforcement were invited to testify and present their point-of-view.”

“We as a caucus want to work with everyone to pass an agenda rooted in declaring that Black lives matter and ensuring that everyone in this state can be made whole,” the Black Caucus said in the statement.

Welter expressed his opposition to the bill in a statement Thursday.

“I stand 100% with our men and women in law enforcement against this dangerous legislation that would make our communities less safe,” Welter said. “The proposed package includes unfunded mandates on police departments, threatens a 20% cut in funding for public safety budgets, allows officers to be punished or fired based on anonymous and unsubstantiated or unverifiable complaints, and makes a variety of other changes that would make it more difficult for officers to arrest dangerous offenders and keep them in custody. Legislation of this magnitude requires appropriate time for public input and thorough debate, not being rushed through during a five-day period as the bill’s supporters are attempting to do.

“Let’s have a serious discussion about police reform and how to improve our criminal justice system; but let’s give the men and women who put their lives on the line each and every day to protect us a seat at the table in those conversations and work together to come up with better solutions than this reckless package of anti-police legislation.”

Welter represents the 75th District, which includes portions of Grundy, Kendall, La Salle and Will counties.