State Representative Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) was joined by Kankakee County Sheriff, Michael Downey, and Kankakee County State’s Attorney, Jim Rowe, during a press conference this morning to introduce a package of bills designed to support police and deter crime.
“In December, my district was struck by tragedy when Bradley Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic was killed in the line of duty,” said Haas “Following this tragic event, I knew I needed to take action, so I worked with my local sheriff and state’s attorney to develop a legislative package that will support our police officers and hold criminals accountable for their actions.”
Haas’s legislation does the following:
HB 4809: Makes taking an officer’s body camera, or any part of that camera, in order to prevent arrest or prosecution an obstruction of justice.
HB 4808: Creates the offense of a habitual misdemeanant. If a person has 3 or more pending charges for misdemeanor domestic battery, battery, violation of an order of protection, or criminal damage to property of a family or household member, then that defendant may be charged as a habitual misdemeanant offender. This would be a Class 4 felony.
HB 4684: The SAFE-T Act requires that once a person has been detained they must be brought to trial within 90 days, HB 4684 would extend that time to 120 days to ensure there is adequate time to prepare to bring a case to trial.
HB 4683: Provides that the penalty for aggravated domestic battery is a Class X felony when the person committing the domestic battery strangles another individual. Thereby making the sentence to no less than 6 years and no more than 30 years.
“We need all the support we can get,” said Kankakee County Sheriff, Michael Downey. “Each of these bills have my full support because not only will they help us do our jobs, but they will keep our communities safe and our officers safe while they work to protect those communities.”
“This legislative package gives state’s attorneys a whole new set of tools to keep violent offenders off our streets,” said Kankakee County State’s Attorney, Jim Rowe. “I hope the General Assembly will work together, in a bipartisan way, to get these bills passed. I believe they will make a big difference.”
“Despite the disappointment that these bills were not called given a fair hearing this week, I want to thank these gentlemen for working with me on this critical issue,” said Haas. “This package is truly a testament to what can be accomplished when we work together, in a bipartisan way, to address a common concern. I hope that members on both sides of the aisle can come together to get this package passed into law.”
For any questions please contact her district office at 815-523-7779.