Rock Island Today

Illinois House District 72 GOP candidate Tom Martens is unmovable in his opposition to the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today act (SAFE-T).

“Eliminating cash bail only incentives criminals to commit more crimes,” Martens told the Rock Island Today of the newly passed legislation that holds that provision as one of its centerpieces. "The Safe-T law has to go, along with any other law that hurts the police.”

Back in April, The Center Square reported a battery of state’s attorneys struck a similar tone, with one arguing “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.”

As for lawmakers and supporters of the law who argue having SAFE-T on the books stands to make for a more fair and equitable justice system, Martens doesn’t back down.

“They are wrong,” he added. “If you don’t commit crime, you don’t have to worry about bail. Ideas like that hurt the poorest neighborhoods the most.”

As the debate rages, Gov. Pritzker (D-IL) is holding firm in his position.

“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," he recently told The Center Square. "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 Republicans 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.