Day after DPD shooting, state representative says law enforcement is under attack

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Illinois State Representative Dan Caulkins is calling for change after two Decatur Police Officers were shot yesterday morning.

Caulkins said city officials are doing all they can to support the police department. He said increases in gun violence are because of people's opinions of the police.

"Our policemen, all of our law enforcement people have been under attack now for a couple of years," said Caulkins. "It's really not good. It's not good for us. You know, the police are trying to do a job, but they're hired to do and when the community is disrespectful of their efforts now makes their job harder, and it makes our lives less safe."

Caulkins said he is concerned how these kind of incidents impact people's opinions of Decatur. He says yesterday's shooting is a big step back for recruitment efforts.

"It's going to make it even harder for us to maintain our law enforcement community," said Caulkins. "The negative publicity of having an incident like that happened in your hometown discourages people from wanting to come here and do business here. It reinforces that stereotype about Decatur, that we worked so hard to try to overcome."

Amber Oberheim, wife of fallen officer Chris Oberheim, spoke with WAND about the reaction she had to yesterday's shooting. She said these kinds of situations bring up painful memories.

"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hit me a little bit different now," said Oberheim. "Sometimes I sit and think about what I was feeling when I received the news about my husband."

Oberheim said she is frustrated by legislation that restricts the work that police do. She said if criminals are not held accountable, dangerous situations will occur.

"These career criminals are not held accountable for their heinous actions and then they end up back out on the street and they end up with a plea deal or they're able to somehow finagle their way through a judicial system that, in some cases seems rather fractured," said Oberheim. "That's a problem because they end up back out on the street."

WAND reached out to Senator Doris Turner, whose team said she was unavailable to comment today. WAND also reached out to Representative Sue Scherer but she did not respond.