Darien Chief Sees Reason Behind No Cash Bail

DARIEN, IL – Darien Police Chief Greg Thomas weighed in again this week on the new crime law, known as the SAFE-T Act, which ends cash bail as of Jan. 1.

At Monday's City Council meeting, the chief said the law seeks fairness between defendants with money and those without.

At the same time, he said changes need to be made to the law to ensure dangerous people are behind bars while awaiting trial.

He said DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin and a few other state's attorneys are in "active" negotiations with lawmakers to amend the law.

He said Berlin wants the law to be more like New Jersey's version, which is seen as giving prosecutors more tools to keep defendants accused of serious crimes in jail.

Thomas said he understood the push to do away with cash bail.

"There are some unintended consequences of cash bail, and that's why we're trying to make a change," the chief said. "Some with significant money can bond out, despite that there may be a danger to the public or the community or to a specific person."

Meanwhile, he said, others who commit the same types of crimes lack the money to get out.

"A big part of it is trying to be fair," Thomas said. "I think we can be fair, but we can also be safe."

He noted the political ads that claim a "purge" of jails will happen Jan. 1, with mass releases of inmates. He said Berlin interprets the law as being prospective – in other words, those arrested for crimes before Jan. 1 can't be released under the new law's provisions.

But Thomas acknowledged other prosecutors had different interpretations. He said it was yet to be seen whether a purge would happen.

Mayor Joseph Marchese lamented the campaign advertising on the topic.

"I would caution people when you're watching all the political commercials," he said. "They present extremes that really don't exist or are not true."

Thomas said his explanation of the law would not fit on a campaign flyer.

"'Purge' goes into a flyer," the chief said. "It's definitely political season. I can't wait until tomorrow's done," referring to the election.