Chambana Sun

State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Decatur) is pushing The Fund the Police Act in the face of what he sees as rising violent crime rates across the downstate area.

"Downstate communities, including Champaign and Decatur, are experiencing unprecedented levels of violent crime,” Rose said in a post to his website. “The Fund the Police Act will put resources where they are needed most: getting more boots on the ground to fight violent crime, funding police training, incentivizing the hiring and retention of police officers, helping to offset local governments’ police overtime costs and helping to tackle mental health issues, which contribute to the overall problem.”

The legislation also includes changes to the system aimed at keeping violent offenders off the street while providing the law enforcement community with additional resources via a $100 million state appropriation.

“Legislative leaders found time to ram through multiple controversial bills this year that do nothing to keep people safe,” Rose said. “Meanwhile people are literally dying in the streets, school buses are getting shot at, and families are afraid to go outside. It’s well past time for the state to do something.”

The legislation also seeks to create the Fund the Police Grant Fund that appropriates $100 million to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board for making grants available to local governments and universities to hire police officers, purchase equipment designed to prevent gang violence, motor vehicle theft, carjacking, or sale of contraband.

The proposal also seeks to establish that a defendant who commits aggravated battery to a police officer serve at least 85% of their sentence and denies bail for previously convicted gun offenders or a felon charged with a gun offense.