SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Legislation heading to the governor's desk could require trauma informed response training for law enforcement handling sexual assault cases.
Sexual assault survivor and advocate Anna Williams spoke before the Senate Criminal Law Committee on April 2, 2025.
Sponsors say law enforcement must use the utmost care when survivors come forward to report sexual abuse.Â
The bill would require the Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board to teach police officers how to identify conflicts of interest and options to address those conflicts when officers know a sexual assault victim or the abuser.
Suburban lawmakers filed the plan after hearing about a negative experience Anna Williams went through while filing her sexual assault report.
"The detective working my case lied on my statements, and it was brushed off when I mentioned it to the chief," Williams said. "I was frequently asked if I was sure that it was not consensual. If we pass the bill, it will help survivors heal from the assault, and then it gives them a fighting chance. It will validate their experiences."
Williams told lawmakers this spring that over 60% of sexual assaults go unreported due to the fear of retraumatization and victim blaming.
Senate Bill 1195 passed unanimously out of the House and Senate. The measure will be named Anna's Law if Gov. JB Pritzker signs the plan.Â
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