Orland Park Trustees Call On Pritzker To Veto Police Reform Bill

ORLAND PARK, IL — At Monday evening’s Village Board of Trustees meeting in Orland Park, trustees voted unanimously to call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto House Bill 3653, a bill that would enable various police reforms throughout the state. The bill was authored by the Legislative Black Caucus, after protests against police brutality occurred in summer 2020.

If signed by the governor, the house bill would make Illinois the first state in the nation to end cash bail, starting in 2023. It would also require all officers to wear body cameras by 2025, expand the process for revoking the certification of officers found to have engaged in misconduct, and enact many other measures, including creating statewide use-of-force standards and expanding required training.

Around 4 a.m. Jan. 12, state Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago) introduced the 764-page amendment that creates five new acts and amends more than a half-dozen more. It was approved by a 32-23 vote, with five Democratic senators voting against it and three others not voting. The bill then headed to the House for concurrence, and with about an hour remaining before the end of the term, passed by a vote of 60-50.

According to the village resolution, the board has brought this to a vote in an effort to stop any defunding or abolishment of police departments. The resolution also says the bill may reduce municipal authority.

Mayor Keith Pekau said there are aspects of the bill that are “good and would be worth keeping,” but said 90 percent of it is bad, due to the length and lack of stakeholder involvement. He criticized the process legislators took to pass it, saying the “764-page document was voted on one hour later,” after passing in the middle of the night.

“A bill that goes in front of any legislative body like this, with this many members, is garbage,” Pekau said. “Not one stakeholder was included in any of this. Not the police, not the municipalities that actually have to deal with policing — not that these state legislature really care. But we have to deal with all of that.”

Pekau listed scenarios of ways the enforcement could go wrong, such as an officer not turning on a body camera in an unexpected high-stress situation, and detainees being released on personal recognizance, listing individuals like John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer as examples. He also said he doesn’t believe the bill will pass through the Supreme Court because it may violate the Sixth Amendment, which gives defendants the right to a speedy trial, an impartial jury in the jurisdiction where the alleged crime was committed, the right to know the charges against them and the right to know who their accusers are.

“What happened to those legislatures' oath to protect the Constitution of The United States? Gone, out the window,” Pekau said. “The governor should take his oath seriously, and he should veto this bill.”

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Trustee William Healy called the house bill “an exercise of insanity,” saying it makes no sense to him. “It is just stupid to handcuff the police who have been doing a great job,” Healy said. The trustee suggested people look to see if their representatives in Springfield voted in favor of the bill saying, “There’s no reason to vote for this bill.”

Trustee Michael Milani also opposes the bill, saying the Orland Park Police Department goes "above and beyond" to protect its community. Milani said the bill “laughs in the faces” of Orland officers and restricts their duties, while “giving more flexibility to criminals.”

“We have the very best when it comes to law enforcement, but their jobs just became more difficult after passing this bill. The state in its infinite wisdom in law enforcement has quickly decided to make the career of a police officer more dangerous, while making the career of a criminal easier than ever,” Milani said. “I hope the state steps back and reviews the situation and reconsiders. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to be the case.”

The resolution asks Pritzker to veto the bill, listing reasons why it could potentially cause more harm than good. It is divided by five sections, which are:

• Section 1: The above recitals are incorporated by reference into this Section 1 and made a part hereof as though fully set forth herein.
• Section 2: The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park resolve to oppose efforts to defund or abolish police departments, or reduce municipal authority.
• Section 3: The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to oppose any efforts to prioritize criminals over the safety of law-abiding citizens and police officers.
• Section 4: The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to call on Governor J.B. Pritzker to veto House Bill 3653.
• Section 5: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its adoption as provided by law.

Although Trustee Kathleen Fenton agrees with other trustees in opposition of the bill, she was not fond of the verbiage used in the resolution. Fenton said she is in full support of the Orland Park Police Department, and all other police departments in the country, but suggested an amendment that would strike section 3. She said the language creates further issues, calling it "A fire into the flame." The amendment did not pass.

Similarly, Trustee Jim Dodge agreed with Fenton, saying the language does not help solve the problem. He also suggested another amendment to change language, which did not pass either.

Section 4 was ultimately amended after Milani suggested adding to "Ask the legislature to address this properly, unlike how they addressed Hb 3653." All board members voted to pass the amendment.

Dodge said the bill "is a mess," and thinks it's time for "real reform that solves problems," rather than rushing and causing unintended consequences. The trustee also said law enforcement needs more societal support, rather than less.

"I think if it was possible to have more communities like Orland Park have police departments as good as ours, we wouldn't be having this discussion this evening," Dodge said.

If Pritzker signs the bill, most of the law is due to take effect July 1, although several clauses do not have to be implemented until the first day of 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025. Pritzker had indicated he will sign the bill, over the objections of law enforcement groups. Those who back the bill say it will increase police accountability and reduce inequities in the criminal law system.

See more of what the Orland Board of Trustees had to say about the bill, here.

Related:

Dan McLaughlin Opposes Police Reform Bill After Mayor's Call Out | Orland Park, IL Patch

Orland Park Mayor: 'I Strongly Oppose The Defund Police Bill' | Orland Park, IL Patch

Orland Fire District 'Strongly Condemns' Police Reform Bill | Orland Park, IL Patch

Orland Police Chief Joe Mitchell Opposes Police Reform Bill | Orland Park, IL Patch