Chicago City Wire

Rep. Amy Grant (R-Wheaton) is drawing attention to the high number of carjackings that took place in Chicago last year and calls for the SAFE-T Act to be repealed. 

Among other measures, the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act will eliminate cash bail by 2023, allow certain people accused of felonies to not have to be detained before trial and mandate additional regulations on the behavior of police officers.

“Chicago reported more than 1,800 carjackings last year," Grant posted to her Facebook account on Feb. 7. "That’s 3x more carjackings than New York City, despite having a population roughly 1/3 the size. Let’s repeal the SAFE-T Act and restore public safety in Illinois.”

Law enforcement groups, Republican leaders and police unions also believe that the SAFE-T Act creates an additional threat to pubic safety. In 2019, there were 603 carjackings in the city of Chicago. In  2020, the number climbed to 1,416. Carjacking is also considered a class 1 felony with aggravated carjacking being a class X felony. 

In January 2022, the Chicago Police Department Vehicular Hijacking Task Force carried out 142 arrests pertaining to carjackings. January of 2022 was the fourth-deadliest January of the 21st century, with 219 people being shot, 48 people murdered, and 791 guns recovered by law enforcement.  

According to the State Journal Register, the Legislative Black Caucus released a statement that said the SAFE-T Act made the justice system more fair for minorities, and Republican lawmakers' criticism of the legislation is premature.

“Many provisions of the SAFE-T Act have not even gone into effect yet, proving the Republican gambit is all for show,” the statement said.