Orland Park Officials Pass Resolution Asking Governor To Veto Recently Passed Police Reform Bill

Orland Park IL

20 January, 2021

4:53 PM

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By Jon DePaolis, the Richard Free Press: ORLAND PARK, Ill. — Village of Orland Park officials have issued a rebuke to state lawmakers over the passage of House Bill 3653. The Village Board of Trustees voted 7-0 Monday, Jan. 18, to pass a resolution opposing the police reform bill and asking Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto the legislation. "We have the very best when it comes to law enforcement, but their job just became more difficult [after the State] passed this bill," Trustee Michael Milani said during the discussion. "The State in its infinite wisdom in law enforcement has quickly decided to make the career of a police officer more dangerous while making the career of a criminal easier than ever." Milani said Orland Park has been proactive with body cameras, mental health service partnerships and community outreach programs. But he said the state legislation places "extra strain on the system while providing criminals with more flexibility and privilege." "I hope our state steps back and reviews the situation and reconsiders," Milani said. "Unfortunately, I don't think that is going to be the case." While the vote to approve the resolution passed unanimously, several amendments were offered — though, just one was approved — to change some of the originally proposed text. Trustee Kathleen Fenton said that while she is "100% behind the Orland Park Police Department and all of the police departments in the State of Illinois and in this nation," she had an issue with Section 3 of the resolution. Section 3 stated: "The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to oppose any efforts to prioritize criminals over the safety of law-abiding citizens and police officers." Fenton also took issue with that same language being used in the title of the resolution. "I just feel it is a flame into the fire, creating more of an issue," Fenton said. "I totally agree that what [state lawmakers did] was wrong, but I just don't like that verbiage." Fenton made a motion to amend the resolution to delete Section 3 and the corresponding verbiage used in the title. However, the amendment failed to pass 4-3, with Mayor Keith Pekau and trustees Milani, William Healy and Cynthia Nelson Katsenes voting against it. Next, Trustee James Dodge offered an amendment. "I think it is time in our country that we take a look at reform – real reform – that solves the problems, as opposed to what this bill seems to try to do," he said in discussing the house bill. "I don't like the bill, and there are a few things in this particular resolution that I wouldn't mind if we adjusted in the language." Dodge said he did not feel that the language used in the resolution would help in solving the problem. Therefore, Dodge proposed amending the resolution to strike all of the language except for what was included under Section 4, which stated: "The Village President and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Orland Park further resolve to call on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to veto House Bill 3653." He also asked for additional text to be added in asking the legislature to address supporting law enforcement and reform properly – not the way it was handled in the current house bill. The amendment proposal failed 5-2, however, with Trustee Dan Calandriello joining the board majority in voting against the change. After Dodge's amendment was voted down, Milani motioned to amend the resolution to include the additional language that Dodge had suggested as part of his amendment proposal. Milani's amendment passed 7-0. Before the final vote on the resolution, Dodge said he believes law enforcement needs "more support not less support from our society." "But it also is clear to me that reform broadly is needed in this space, and that could take many forms," he said. "But it needs to be collaborative and thoughtful, as opposed to doing something rushed where who knows what the unintended consequences are. "Shame on Springfield for the way they've done it." Pekau also commented on the bill, stating that he knew it was "garbage" after the house bill number changed – leading to the removal of thousands of witness slips arguing against the bill's passage – and it was bypassed from committee. "Then, they did it in the middle of the night at 3:45 a.m.," he said. "A 764-page document voted on one hour later [after being received]. Not one stakeholder was included in any of this – not the police, not the municipalities that actually have to deal with policing." Pekau said there were a few things in the bill that were good and would be worth keeping — but those items were few and far between. "In 764 pages and 100-and-some different things that they are requiring people to do … 90 percent of it is bad," Pekau said. "It's bad because it's so big and it wasn't addressed with the stakeholders like it should have been." The mayor said the bill ends monetary bail, limits electronic monitoring, and presumes the defendant is entitled to release on personal recognizance. "John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer … entitled to release on personal recognizance," Pekau said. "I can't even imagine the insanity of something like that." Pekau also said it could be a Class 3 felony if an officer does not turn on his or her body camera. Pekau gave an example of how that could be an issue for a quick-responding officer in a crisis situation. "That's nuts," Pekau said. "As someone who flew a high-performance airplane and knows a little bit about high-energy, high-stress situations, when your habit pattern gets interrupted at all, you'll skip that in a heartbeat. That can be something as simple as getting out of your car for a motor vehicle ticket and someone almost hits you with their car. And then you forget to turn [the body camera] on." He said the State would now handle officer complaints, as opposed to the local municipality, and that complaints could be made anonymously. "I don't think this is going to pass the Supreme Court, because it violates the Sixth Amendment right to face an accuser," Pekau said. Ultimately, Pekau said Pritzker should "take his oath seriously" to uphold the U.S. Constitution and "veto this bill." Get 30% off for 1 year Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.