Chicago City Wire

House Republicans face a herculean task of moving a package of public safety bills recently introduced in a legislature where the Democrats, who late last year approved the controversial SAFE-T Act, have a super majority in both chambers.

But without the reforms, the population drain in the state, and especially in Chicago, is likely to continue, judging by a recent study by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) showing a link between crime and outmigration.

The bills announced this week are the product of the House GOP Public Safety Group, and they cover a range of issues including ramping up law enforcement recruitment efforts, and changes to the SAFE-T Act, which includes a cashless bail system that puts suspects right back on the street. (Cashless bail is on hold while under review by the Illinois Supreme Court).

During the Wednesday press conference announcing the legislation, State Rep. Dennis Tipsword (R-Metamora), who is also a chief deputy for the Woodford County Sheriff’s Department, said Illinois has gotten away from accountability for criminals.

“If we don’t change course now, we may never recover. In fact, I argue the damage already done will take a generation to correct,” Tipsword said. “We have conditioned criminals to believe that there are no consequences for acting out. We have to make being a criminal illegal again.”

The Illinois Policy Institute report, citing figures from the Chicago Police Department, noted that crime in Chicago overall has increased during the past five years by nearly 20%.

“The year-over-year change in crime was even greater last year,” the report said. “Between 2021 and 2022, overall crime in Chicago increased by 41%, after overall crime had decreased each year in 2019 and 2020 and slightly increased in 2021.”

The report also noted that in 2021 alone, 45,000 Chicago residents left the city, and it pointed to a recent WBEZ poll showing that nearly two-thirds of those planning to vote in the mayor’s race did not feel safe.

Crime levels at restaurants along the Red Line, Chicago's busiest route in the elevated system, also were analyzed.

“The Red Line serves as a barometer for the No. 1 concern in Chicago: crime,” the report said. “And the restaurants along the line serve to gauge the public’s exposure to crime.”

What they found was that Chicago restaurants reported four crimes for every five licensed locations near a station. The most common crime reported by these restaurateurs was theft, followed by battery.

Crime, and soft-on-crime city officials, are also driving business away.

“Big business is also pulling out of cities neglected by woke prosecutors,” former federal prosecutor Thomas Hogan wrote in the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. “Aerospace giant Boeing has moved its headquarters out of Chicago, where Kim Foxx, the city’s chief prosecutor, has presided over rising violence and disorder. Hedge fund Citadel relocated from Chicago to Miami, citing rampant crime in the Windy City.”