Rock Island Today

Contrary to his reputation of having “the ability to negotiate and find compromise,” Mike Thoms, Republican candidate for State Senate IL-36, is taking a firm stand against the SAFE-T Act.

That firm stand includes calling upon his incumbent opponent, State Rep. Mike Halpin, to “denounce” HB3653.

“When Mike Halpin cast the final vote that passed HB3653 into law, he became the leader of Illinois Democrats’ radical push to defund the police and make our communities less safe,” Thoms said in an online release. 

Starting Jan. 1, cash bail will be abolished in the state of Illinois. The SAFE-T Act noted it will be “presumed that a defendant is entitled to release on personal recognizance” and may be detained thereafter if they violate certain conditions listed in 725 ILCS 5/110-2. 

“The SAFE-T Act is set to abolish cash bail – an important tool used by law enforcement to keep dangerous criminals off the streets before a trial can be held,” Thoms continued. “The SAFE-T Act’s provisions will allow rapists, domestic abusers, murderers and other violent criminals off easy in the name of social justice. I join residents of the 36th District to demand that Mike Halpin denounce the SAFE-T Act and call for its immediate repeal.”

The SAFE-T Act puts the burden on the prosecution to make a case that a defendant should remain in detention. It states that detention shall be imposed only when it is determined that the defendant “poses a specific, real and present threat to a person, or has a high likelihood of willful flight.” 

The state must also provide each defendant a hearing within 48 hours where the prosecution can make their case as to why the defendant should be detained. Concern has been expressed by Illinois state attorneys that this is too short a time to provide the evidence needed to detain a defendant, Capitol News Illinois has reported. 

Thoms is not the only state political leader who opposes the SAFE-T Act. Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has also criticized it.

“If that bill goes into effect, …police officers’ hands will be tied,” Glasgow said on Facebook in July. “What you see in Chicago, we’ll have here. I won’t be able to hold anybody in jail longer than 90 days if they demand trial, and after at the 90th day, they get out, no matter what crime they committed, and then, if they don’t show up for court, I can’t get a warrant, … They’re not going to come back to court. … It’s going to be literally the end of days.” 

Glasgow mentioned the 640 people he is holding in the Will County jail, saying 60 of them are charged with murder, and how "all their bonds will be extinguished on Jan. 1.” 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has defended the SAFE-T Act. Among other things, he says the bill would protect criminals who don’t have the financial resources and would keep them from having to sit in jail for days.