Mayor Keith Pekau | Facebook /Keith Pekau
Mayor Keith Pekau | Facebook /Keith Pekau
Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau (R) is calling for the repeal of the SAFE-T Act.
Pekau is running for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 6th Congressional District which includes Westmont, Downers Grove and Orland Park.
Measures in the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act include abolishing cash bail by 2023, allowing certain individuals accused of felonies to not have to be detained before trial, and putting additional regulations on police officers.
Law enforcement groups and police unions claim that the SAFE-T Act creates a threat to pubic safety.
"The so-called Safety Act prioritizes criminals over law-abiding citizens and police officers and eliminates cash bail," Pekau said in a post to Facebook on March 1. "Of course, it does not go into effect until after the next election. Shocker. This law must be rescinded, lest we see the policies even worse than those (that) Kim Foxx and Cook County mandated throughout the entire State of Illinois."
The Chicago Tribune has reported that Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has dropped the charges against 30% of the county's felony defendants in her first three years office. WTTW News reports that there were 43 homicides in Chicago during the month of February which added up to a total of 92 during the first two months of the year.
According to WTTW, Chicago police officers have found 1,618 guns, which is, on average, more than 27 weapons each day, according to the department. The CPD also claims that there have been 306 vehicular hijackings so far this year.
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