By Madhu Mayer

The Joliet City Council is making its position known on the controversial Illinois SAFE-T Act.

The city council Tuesday adopted a resolution asking legislators to work with residents and communities on the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act that will take effect on Jan. 1.  Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the act into law last year abolishing cash bail across Illinois so a defendant can only be detained in pretrial confinement when prosecutors prove to a judge that the defendant is a flight risk or poses a real and present threat to others in the community. The act also pertains to policing when it comes to arrests, sentencing and correction.

At the start of the meeting, Councilman at-large Cesar Guerrero unsuccessfully lobbied to have the item removed from the agenda. He cited ambiguity with the resolution for his position.

“There is no clear definition of what these terms mean (in the resolution),” he said. “The only thing I am arguing is this resolution as it is written cannot be supported.”

According to the resolution presented at Tuesday’s Joliet City Council meeting, “The SAFE-T Act contains several elements that impact the ability for the city to most effectively provide police services, including, but not limited to, unreasonably limiting the imposition of cash bail, unreasonably limiting police officer discretion to make arrests, imposing unreasonable police certification and decertification standards, and mandating unreasonable custodial accommodations.

“The City of Joliet encourages legislators to work with public safety representatives and all community stakeholders to fix remaining problems with the SAFE-T Act, including, but not limited to, unreasonably limiting the imposition of cash bail (and) unreasonably limiting police officer discretion to make arrests,” the resolution continues.

Proponents of the SAFE-T Act say it will keep people who are presumed innocent from having to fight their cases from behind bars and lower the jail population across the state.  A Joliet man who spoke before the City Council Tuesday said misinformation about the SAFE-T Act must stop now.

“There is too much gaslighting and false narratives,” he said. “It hands the power to the judge on who should be released. It is not about releasing dangerous persons on bond.”

Another comment from Wayne Johnson of Joliet was that the resolution is not legally binding, it’s just a preference and really means very little.

As a former police officer, prosecutor and defense attorney, Mayor Bob O’Dekirk supported the resolution.

“This bill as it stands will make our community less safe,” said O’Dekirk. “Other cities have reached out to Joliet and want to follow in our lead (in terms of considering the resolution).”

O’Dekirk hopes the council approval encourages everyone to read thru the nearly 800-page bill.

“This is a siren call for people to read it,” he said. “Cash bail should not be punitive. There are current issues with the criminal justice system. I don’t know one police chief in favor of this.”

Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow has already filed a lawsuit against the SAFE-T Act, alleging the quick manner in which the law was passed is itself a violation because the legislation is supposed to go before the Illinois General Assembly for at least three days.