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GOP suggests Safe-T Act ‘tweaks’

GOP suggests Safe-T Act ‘tweaks’

Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch at a news conference about the Safe-T Act, State Capitol, Springfield, IL, Jan. 20, 2026 Photo: Saga Communications/Dave Dahl


Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Here’s another attempt to tighten up the Safe-T Act.

Illinois House Republicans want to give judges more discretion to keep the accused locked up and also make all felonies eligible for detainment. Sangamon County Sheriff Paula Crouch (pictured) wants to stop the revolving door.

“We have a lot of repeat offenders coming back into our jails,” Crouch said at a statehouse news conference Tuesday. “And why is that? It’s because there is no accountability. There is no accountability for the crimes that they are committing, because they can commit a crime, they either are not detained, or in some cases they don’t even make it to the jail. They’re issued a citation with a court notice to come in.”

“We’re not talking about a complete overhaul of the Safe-T Act,” said Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser. “We are talking about tweaks to make our communities more safe. And a major tweak is to give judges more discretion to detain individuals. All felonies should be detainable; they are not.”

The governor and supermajority Democrats have already said they’re open to adjustments in the Safe-T Act.

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