* Police body cams are on the front burner this session…

Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, has already introduced Senate Bill 21, which will be used to provide basic protocol for the cameras — such as when they can be turned off — instead of a mandate requiring them. […]

[Laimutis Nargelenas, manager of governmental relations for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police] said the chiefs association wants to work with the legislature to make the law effective, both economically and practically.

“The issue with the cameras is certain groups want officers to use them in limited instances,” he said. “If we can’t get body cameras without limited restrictions, why use them? If we’re going to use taxpayer dollars to pay for these, let’s make sure they’re used properly.”

* Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Zalewski has a new crime bill. From a press release…

Zalewski, D-Riverside, is taking a new approach to the previous debate over gun penalties based on sentencing modifications that would increase penalties for illegal gun possession while introducing groundbreaking factors for judicial discretion and appropriate case-by-case review. Judges then can alter the length of the person’s sentence based on an individualized assessment of the offender, and even open up opportunities for corrections programming and counseling while the person serves his or her sentence. Zalewski’s new approach to tougher penalties for illegal gun possession seeks to bring Illinois into a new era of correctional reform and align with best practices for a 21st century criminal justice system.

Zalewski also is proposing a series of bills to address several topics that were considered at length by the reform committee:

· Ensures consistency in drug laws when students are present to reduce inconsistent judicial findings

· Allows domestic violence victims to present evidence at sentencing regarding their abuse in the event they are convicted of defending themselves

· Creates a pilot program to let Cook County authorities use drug analysis field tests to determine whether recovered substances are illegal marijuana, cocaine or heroin, reducing the number of days a defendant waits for a preliminary hearing

· Applies enhanced Class 4 felony penalties for property theft of no more than $300 to those with two or more convictions of certain thefts and burglaries, rather than one previous conviction

· Increases the threshold amount for theft from $500 to $1,000

Zalewski also intends to fight vigorously for other criminal justice reform measures pending before the Legislature, including reform of the state’s juvenile transfer laws, realignment of the state’s cannabis statutes, and continuation of the bi-partisan, bicameral Joint Committee on Criminal Justice Reform to continue the important work of studying how to bring Illinois out of the dark ages of sentencing.