First Year of the 103rd General Assembly - The Illinois General Assembly adjourned the 2023 regular session in the early morning hours on May 27, 2023.
Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks
Chicago Tribune (TNS)
Every police officer in Illinois would be required to wear a body camera by 2025 as part of a massive criminal justice overhaul state lawmakers approved this month, but a lack of additional funding to help agencies pay for equipment and the absence of penalties for those that don’t raises questions about whether the legislation will achieve its ambitious goal.
Police groups voiced myriad criticisms of the overhaul package, advanced by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus as part of its response to the outcry that followed last year’s death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The bill’s most controversial elements include eliminating cash bail beginning in 2023 and making it easier for people to file complaints against police officers.
One of the key components of the Legislative Black Caucus’ police reform package is the requirement that all Illinois police officers be equipped with body worn cameras by 2025, but local police chiefs are worried about paying for the mandate.
House Bill 3653 was the criminal justice pillar of the Black Caucus’ legislative agenda that passed during the lame duck legislative session on Jan. 13. In addition to requiring body cameras, the bill also ended cash bail, reformed use of force by police and increased training requirements for officers.
“I get where the legislature is coming from. The problem I have is the unfunded mandate,” said Chatham Police Chief Vern Foli.