Rockford Sun

Illinois state Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-DeKalb) is criticizing the Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act.

"More than 60% of the SAFE-T Act was supported by law enforcement, it’s not all horrible," the legislator wrote in a Sept. 16 Facebook post. "But it’s also not 100% 'okay.' Unfortunately, when raising the alarm, we’re called fear mongers and racist by sharing what’s coming Jan. 1. We can’t let what’s about to occur go forward uncorrected."

Keicher said that as a legislator, he has supported criminal justice reform, including bail reform.

"However, the broad strokes of this act are too far of a stretch and endanger our communities," Keicher stated. "It’s one thing to have no bail on minor drug crimes and shoplifting (the examples most often cited by proponents). It’s something entirely different to have potentially violent offenders out because we’ve taken away judicial discretion - let the judge decide."

In the post Keicher shared an article from Injustice Watch, which he said equated the conservative backlash to the SAFE-T Act with backlash to Black "liberatory" work.

"A similar tug-of-war is happening in Illinois right now with the SAFE-T Act, a sweeping reform of the criminal justice system that was signed into law last year," according to the article. "Backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the SAFE-T Act: expands police officer training in race and ethnicity sensitivity and de-escalation tactics, requires body cameras in all departments by 2025, creates stricter body camera regulations, and requires medical treatment for people in custody without unreasonable delay, among other things."

The most controversial piece of the SAFE-T Act is the Pretrial Fairness Act, "which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2023, and will abolish cash bail in Illinois — the first state to do so in the country," the article stated. "Chicago organizers and civil rights groups fought tirelessly for this historic measure, understanding that most pretrial detainees are Black or brown. Their inability to afford a bond led to job loss, housing uncertainty and loss of child custody — while doing nothing to improve public safety." 

Keicher was elected to the Illinois House in 2018, according to the DeKalb Times. A Republican, his legislative experience includes serving on the Appropriations, Higher Education, and Immigration and Human Rights committees. He has supported electric vehicle programs and the expansion of manufacturing.

“We’ve already seen the benefits locally in jobs, business growth and (for the first time in memory) property taxes going down in the city of DeKalb,” Keicher wrote in a Sept. 7 Facebook post. “This EV (electronic vehicle) credit will continue to reward expanding this high-tech manufacturing sector and bring the jobs I hear from my constituents expect us to bring to Illinois.”                  

Keicher has also criticized Democrat’s and how they have handled the state budget.

“We still have done nothing in Illinois that will stop the tax increase on every job in Illinois and the benefits cut to unemployment,” he wrote on Facebook, according to the DeKalb Times.

The comment comes after Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed the state’s budget for fiscal year 2023, which will include $1.8 million in tax relief for families, the DeKalb Times reported.