Rock Island Today

Mike Thoms, Rock Island Mayor and the Republican candidate for state Senate in the 36th District, released a statement today criticizing the SAFE-T Act while voicing his support for law enforcement.

According to Police1, the SAFE-T Act will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. The bill will impact police departments in three major ways: It restricts the use of force officers can use while pursuing an offender or making an arrest if the officer believes the person can be apprehended at a later date; it makes body cameras mandatory for all law enforcement agencies by 2025, whether or not funding is made available; and it makes it a felony for an officer to not comply with the laws and department policies requiring the use of body-worn cameras and prohibits officers from reviewing their own body camera video before writing a report.

The SAFE-T Act will also abolish cash bail and change what is required to detain an individual.

“Ensuring our police department has the resources it needs, including an adequate number of officers, remains a top priority of mine as Mayor,” Thoms said. “As I continue to talk with residents of the 36th Senate District, they are appalled at the passage of the SAFE-T Act, and worry about the real-life implications that legislation will have. In Rock Island, we are taking a proactive approach to bring in more officers and provide them the resources they need to keep our community safe.”

According to a press release issued by the Rock Island Police Department, the four officers, Blake Moe, Nicolas Castro, Tyler Anast-Schneider and Jacob Hast, were sworn in on Aug. 22.

Police Chief Richard Landi reported that the department is still short eight officers to fill current openings and upcoming retirements, Quad-City Times reported.