McLean County Times

As a former police officer now running for state congress, Dennis Tipsword has a stern warning for all those standing in support of the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today law (SAFE-T Act).

“Feel-good criminal justice reform will be deadly for many of our citizens in Illinois,” Tipsword, running in the 105th District, told the McClean County Times. “The criminal justice system is always evolving, the problem here is the subject matter experts did not have a seat at the table for the discussion of the reform bill, it was done by people who were truly ignorant on the topic.”

Among the most debated aspects of SAFE-T is a provision that mandates the elimination of the cash bail system beginning in early 2023. Supporters of the law also argue it stands to make for a fairer and equitable justice system.

Tipsword has a groundswell of support for the position he’s taken, including a group of local state’s attorneys who came together earlier this year to speak out against the new law, including one that argues “with this new law, our hands will be tied. What sane citizen in this state of Illinois would want the state’s attorney’s hands tied; the police hands tied and give all the perks going to violent offenders. That’s what this law does.”

Tipsword is in complete agreement.

“We must remember that bail/bond keeps dangerous people off our streets,” he added. “Day in and day out we can read about a career criminal that is out once again on a low or no bond amount who makes someone else a victim. We, as a society can’t keep releasing criminals because it makes us feel good, many times I have seen people truly change their lives and get out of the cycle of crime, but they have to make that decision for themselves.”

Tipsword adds all the recent history suggests such laws do little to change things for the better.

“There are many areas around this state that have already been using the no cash bail model and we can see the dangerous and sometimes deadly results,” he said. “We as police officers on the street too often see examples of people we arrest for a serious crime and can only wonder how is this person still on the street committing crimes given their horrific criminal past.”

As the debate rages on, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and democrats have remained firm in their support of the measure, with Pritzker recently telling The Center Square “we do not want someone in jail because they were arrested for a low-level crime like shoplifting to be sitting in jail for months or maybe even years. At the same time, someone who is a wealthy drug dealer, perhaps accused of murder and arrested, can show up with a suitcase full of money and get out of jail."

With CapitolNewsIllinois.com reporting GOP lawmakers have taken to referring to SAFE-T as a “de facto defund the police bill" given all the added restrictions it handcuffs officers with, the elimination of cash bail is set to become effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Tipsword adds he’s seen much of the harm brought on by the bill up close and personal.

“The SAFE-T act is a bill full of feel-good requirements that in reality has already made law enforcement less professional,” he said. “This bill started the mass exodus of outstanding police officers that decided this job was not worth the chances of losing everything they had worked all their life for. Those people left the profession; this sent a shock wave through every police department in the state. Police departments still need people now more than ever so their only option is to reduce the requirements for new recruits. There are people being hired by agencies today that would have never made the first cut just five years ago.”