Rockford Sun

Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana expressed his discontent with the soon-to-take-effect SAFE-T Act in a video posted to YouTube describing the ways in which the act will lead to more crime.

“Now, mind you as suspects these are the crimes that we will have to let them out – aggravated battery, robbery, burglary, hate crimes, aggravated DUI, vehicular homicide, drug-induced homicide, drug offenses, including drug trafficking and delivery of fentanyl,” Caruana said in the video. “Fentanyl is a very dangerous drug. You can overdose very easily on it. In fact, people do. And we assist them by administering Larkham to them several times. Intimidation, kidnaping, second-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and threats to a public officials.”

He said he sees a problem with the fact that defendants who commit these crimes can go free.

“If they don't show up for their first court date ... my deputy is going to have to go find them. Say, 'Hey, listen, you missed your court date. Here's a new court date. You must show up.' And then if they don't show up a second time, then a warrant could be issued for them. But then we're going to have to go find them again and look for them. The process is too encumbering and we have to make sure that we do the right things through this law. This is how this law is prohibiting good law enforcement, good judicial procedures,” Caruana said. “What this is doing, again, is…the victims basically having no rights.”

Caruana said victims can be intimidated and could have experienced physical harm and worse.

“So, again, I want to sum this up. I want to make sure that you're safe. This law is a failure. It allows criminal defendants to go roam the streets. Again, it's putting the alleged victims at risk. And come Jan. 1, I have tried very hard to talk to the legislators. Some of the local elected officials have tried very hard to talk to the authors of this bill. And at this point, it looks like they're going to make it, they're persisting to make this happen come Jan. 1. And what's going to happen Jan. 1?” he asked.

Caruana said it's not too late.

“My daily population is roughly 800, sometimes 850, and let half of them go. That's 400 people that should be incarcerated that will be on the street. But it's not too late. What I ask is that you call your local legislators down in Springfield and insist, insist,” he said. “Insist that they repeal this and give us some time. I'm not saying 'Well, let's take a look and re-engineer it,' but give us six months. Give us a year. Because it was lame duck and there was and the public is just finding out about that. Just finding out about what happened now that almost two years ago, what happened, it just proves to you that it was buried and now this has come out and everybody is up in arms, which I agree with them. So call your local legislators, make sure that you appeal to them to give us some time and review this, because otherwise this is a very, very serious problem.”

Carauna is not the only one warning of those charged with serious crimes that will soon be released.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has also been vocal about the SAFE-T Act. Glasgow was targeted by a criminal who from behind bars would have been on the streets if the SAFE-T Act were in effect.

According to him, the measure will empower criminals and undermine efforts to enforce criminal laws across the state.

Glasgow noted that the SAFE-T Act will render law enforcement helpless.

“(Under) equal protection under the law,” Glasgow said on Chicago’s Morning Answer on AM 560, Will County Gazette reported. “The new statute says that bail is abolished. And if that were to take place over 600 prisoners in the Will County Jail – they also have victims and witnesses who feel secure because of that.”

Of the state’s attorneys across Illinois, 100 of 102 are in support of repealing or changing the act, Madison-St. Clair Record reported.

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx – a known activist – is one of only two state’s attorneys in support of the law.

“If one of the only states attorneys who supports this policy is Kim Foxx, then you should know that it’s a problem,” Candidate for State Representative House District 49 Kevin Wallace said.

The crime rate in Chicago has considerably grown during Foxx's administration, which saw the implementation of regulations that were similar to those in the SAFE-T Act.

In Chicago, the frequency of shootings and other crimes has increased and is now spreading to the nearby suburbs.

Recent murder rates have surpassed figures from 1994, reaching previously unheard-of heights.

The only year in which burglaries, thefts and motor thefts all increased was 2022, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.