ILACP Response to Death of Tyre Nichols

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) is alarmed and disturbed by the circumstances surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mr. Nichols was brutally beaten after allegedly being pulled over for reckless driving on January 7. As a result, five police officers have been fired and are now facing multiple charges, including murder.

"This is not just a professional failing," wrote Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis. "This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual. This incident was heinous, reckless, and inhumane."

After viewing the video, we strongly agree with Chief Davis. While we do not have all the facts and circumstances, it appears from the videos that the officers' use of force was excessive. Additionally, the tactics utilized do not align with those of professional law enforcement. Their actions were unprofessional, disturbing, and fatal. As a result, they will rightfully be judged by a jury.

Law enforcement agencies across the country have worked diligently to build trust and strengthen relationships with the communities they serve. We as an association developed in partnership with the NAACP State Conference, the "Ten Shared Principles of Public Safety" to train officers and citizens in an effort to avoid situations like this. The actions of these officers have jeopardized those initiatives and put our officers and communities at risk.

It goes without saying, this incident has tarnished the reputation of our honorable profession. We as a profession and as a society must do better!

Registration Now Open for 2023 ILACP Annual Conference

Temporary Restraining Order on Assault Weapons Ban Expanded Statewide

Update 2/1/23:

An appellate court upheld the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on the state's assault weapons ban on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Originally, the TRO only affected the 866 plaintiffs who filed suit in Effingham County. The court upholding the TRO expands it statewide.

Judges suggested that lawmakers who rushed to pass the legislation earlier this month should have slowed down to explain why police and security guards, and several other categories of people, get to buy the firearms but others do not.

Previous:

An Illinois judge has issued a temporary restraining order on the state's assault weapons ban. However, it is only temporary and it only bars the enforcement of the new Illinois gun control law against roughly 850 plaintiffs.

Judge Joshua Morrison wrote in his 11-page decision that the state did not "follow the procedural requirements" in passing House Bill 5471, also known as the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

"This legislation has used criteria to choose who can and cannot possess the weapons that without due consideration," the order reads. "Additionally, due to the speed with which this bill was passed, the effect to protected classes could not have been considered, nor could the Legislature have studied if this was the least restrictive way to meet their goal."

Click here for the latest court information.

House Bill 5471 Amendment 3 Signed into Law

You can read the full bill by clicking here.

Members can read the ILACP's breakdown of the bill here.

Illinois Supreme Court Stays Pretrial Fairness Act Statewide

IL Supreme Court Pretrial Fairness Act Stay

The Illinois Supreme Court issued a supervisory order on December 31st, which halted cashless bail from going into effect on January 1, 2023.

The order temporarily halts the no cash bail provision of the Pretrial Fairness Act, pending an appeal by the Illinois Attorney General. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Judge Rules Pretrial Fairness Act Unconstitutional

Kankakee County Court Decision on PFA

On December 28, Kankakee County Judge Thomas Cunnington declared the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) portion of the SAFE-T Act that eliminated cash bail unconstitutional. Judge Cunnington ruled the law violated the precedence of Separation of Power in the Illinois constitution.

Attorney General Kwame Raoul has appealed the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court.

SAFE-T Act Trailer Bill: Progress made, more remains to be done

Some progress was made during the Fall 2022 Veto Session, but still more work needs to be done.

The most recent trailer bills to the SAFE-T Act, sa1 and sa2 HB1095, were passed by the House and the Senate on December 1. Governor JB Pritzker signed it Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police maintains a stance of neutral/no position on the bill.

The bill, like previous trailer bills, attempts to clarify ambiguous language to the original SAFE-T Act.

However, it does not include several important changes sought by ILACP, such as the ability to utilize less lethal weapons (other than tasers) to the back, streamlining the training language, addressing anonymous complaints, etc. While far from perfect, we and our partners believe it is an improvement over what is scheduled to go into effect on January 1st.

Click here to see the full bill.

SAFE-T ACT RESOURCE CENTER

ACTION ALERT: Illinois Drone Law

CALL TO ACTION: Contact your legislators now in support of changes to Illinois' drone law
Click here for more information and your HB5452 FACT SHEET

Former Illinois Chiefs' president runs for IACP 4th VP

ILACP Immediate Past President Chief Mitchell R. Davis III declared his candidacy for 4^th Vice President for the International Association of Chiefs of Police at its October 2022 conference in Dallas, Texas. Those wishing to place their vote for Davis must attend the IACP meeting.

If you are interested in supporting this endeavor, donations can be made by using the QR Code or the "Donate" button below. Donations can also be mailed to ILACP 426 South 5th Street, Springfield, IL 62701. All donations should be made out to the ILACP with "Davis for IACP" in the memo. Thank you in advance for your support.