Marion County law enforcement is expressing great disappointment in the Illinois Supreme Court upholding the SAFE-T Act and Illinois moving to a cashless bail system.
Centralia Police Administrative Lieutenant and Marion County Law Enforcement Committee Chair Steve Whritenour and Salem Police Chief Kyle Ambuehl say they do not feel the law is in the best interest of law-abiding citizens, but it is the law so they will be following it. The law enforcement officials are now awaiting more information from the Marion County State’s Attorney and 4th Judicial Circuit on how to implement the new cashless bail system that is now scheduled to go into effect September 18th. Whritenour and Ambuehl both say they are hopeful the State Supreme Court decision will be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth was in court Tuesday morning and not immediately available for comment.
The President of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Chris Southwood said the decision confirms Illinois’ status as the state of lawlessness and disorder. He notes the court ignored the pleas of nearly every prosecutor in the state of Illinois, Democrat, and Republican, that the elimination of cash bail will put dangerous criminals back on the street who will commit crimes again within hours of their release. Southwood says it is a slap in the face of police officers whose jobs have been made immeasurably more difficult by all of the new anti-law enforcement measures that are in place.
