KANKAKEE—State Representative Jackie Haas (R- Kankakee) recently completed a ride along with local police from the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department. Representative Haas rode alongside one officer during their evening shift, which took her throughout the areas encompassing the 79th Legislative District.
“I was eager to witness firsthand what these officers experience during a routine shift, and I am so happy to have had this opportunity to understand what it takes to truly serve and support our community the way they do on a daily basis,” said Rep. Haas.
While this is the first outing of this kind the Representative has participated in, she is eager to continue working with police to support their continued efforts to keep the local communities safe.
“It’s always been important to me to support our police, but especially in today’s world—our police need our support now more than ever,” continued Rep. Haas. “Gun violence in the State of Illinois is now an urgent problem, especially as it continues to effect more and more innocent lives. Our police are responsible for keeping our residents and the larger community safe—doing what we can to make sure we have their backs is an easy first step and something I will continue to do even on a larger scale in the legislature.”
At the beginning of the year the House Republican caucus unveiled a comprehensive plan called ‘Reimagine Illinois,’ to detail their legislative priorities to improve Illinois. The plan has
four components that Haas and her colleagues believe are essential to the state’s successful future—one important one being ‘Ensuring Public Safety.’
“If we are going to truly make Illinois into the best state it can be, we have to face the unchecked rise in crime. A huge part of that means supporting law enforcement and implementing a program that would recruit and retain the best officers we can put on the streets.”
The Representative plans to support legislation that backs up that sentiment; more details on the full Reimagine Illinois plan are here.