SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) has been working on a law enforcement transparency bill for several years. The plan would require law enforcement to create quarterly reports on all homicide and violent crime in their communities.
In the report would be the crime, the date it happened and the status of the case. This would let people keep themselves updated on police progress on crimes that impacted their families.
"Crime data should not be buried in bureaucratic reports," Buckner said. "It should be readily available to the public, policy makers, law enforcement and researchers to better understand trends and solutions. The more we know, the better we can allocate resources and measure the effectiveness of violence prevention strategies."
Many people have said their families have struggled to move on after losing a loved one to violent crime. Valerie Burgest had her son gunned down in the street while buying some snacks with the murder is still unsolved. She said this plan would help policymakers and law enforcement come up with the best ideas to prevent someone else losing their child to gun violence.
"Without this legislation, how can municipalities come together and develop plans to combat the gun violence they see in their communities if they don't have accurate data," asked Burgest. "I support this legislation. It's up close and personal to me, but it should also be up close and personal for everybody in this state."
As the bill was discussed in committee, Republican lawmakers showed some support for the plan. They want a bill that gives justice to to those that have lost their loved ones.
"Nobody wants to get rid of gun violence more than legal gun owners," State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) said. "I want to reiterate the need for proper prosecution and not just for penalizing the individual but for closure for the victims and the victims family. I appreciate what you're trying to do."
Illinois State Police are currently against the bill, but are in conversation with Buckner to change some language of the bill.
"We've been at the table with them and will continue have [conversations with] them," Buckner said.
The bill is still in committee where lawmakers could vote on it later in session.
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