Carbondale Reporter

State Rep. Dave Severin (R-Benton) says lawmakers from both sides of the aisle must work together to curb the state’s rising crime numbers.

“Everybody in this committee knows that we have philosophical differences on certain items and challenges and those types of things, but I figured the items of crime and violence have got to be addressed and they're very, very concerning,” Severin told the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee’s 19 members, including seven Republicans, during a recent committee hearing.

The crime surge comes after Democratic lawmakers in Springfield passed the SAFE-T Act, which calls for a new process for decertifying abusive officers, body cameras for all officers and a no-cash bail system for non-violent offenders.

“A long time ago, they made Ten Commandments,” Severin said. “That didn’t fix things. So I realize that just because we legislate something doesn’t mean that it’s going to fix a problem. I think we can work with all the different players ... in the community and work towards the answers to these challenges and problems.”

After being one of the leaders in steering SAFE-T through the legislature as chair of the committee, state Rep. Justin Slaughter (D-Chicago) now has the job of tackling rising crime rates.

Also a member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, Slaughter says he wants the committee to come up with solutions based on facts, research and testimony from experts in the criminal justice field while also closely working with the Adoption & Child Welfare, Education, Housing, and Human Services committees.

“Violence is a complex issue,” he said. “And we’re doing the people of Illinois a disservice by thinking it’s just us, our committee that can solve that issue.”