* This bill passed without any interest group opposition…

Illinois House members on Wednesday approved and sent to the governor’s desk follow-up legislation to make it easier for police to carry out the controversial criminal-justice reform bill passed and signed into law one year ago.

Senate Bill 3512 was approved on a 67-42 vote in the House, with no Republican votes. The bill passed the Senate in October on a 40-17 vote. […]

The bill’s language, which was negotiated with the chiefs group and other law-enforcement organizations, also would delay until July 1 the effective date of new police training requirements and a new police officer decertification process. […]

[Ed Wojcicki, director of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police] said he supports the delays because personnel need more time to be trained to carry out the law.

* Capitol News Illinois…

The bill outlines that when someone is detained, law enforcement must allow them to make up to three phone calls within three hours of being detained. If the individual is moved from one detention center to the next, the three phone calls and three hours will restart.

But House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, argued that the bill did not provide enough clarification between the words “police custody” and “detention”.

“Police custody means that they’re not free to leave. That means that they’re sitting in a squad car and under the way you’ve drafted your bill, that means that the police have to give that person three phone calls,” Durkin said.

But the bill clarifies that the definition of “detention” is police stations, places that operate municipal police departments, county police departments and other law enforcement agencies.

That was not a serious objection. But I suppose it’ll make for a cheap direct mail hit.

* Center Square…

Durkin warned the measure could lead to witness tampering and intimidation, particularly in domestic violence situations.

“What you’re describing is felony tampering of a witness, leader,” Slaughter said.

“It doesn’t make a difference, you’re still allowing that phone call to be made,” Durkin said. “Sure they can get charged down the line but the fact is the call is going to be made and they’re going to scare the hell out of that victim who has been the subject of abuse by the family member.”

They could do that with only one phone call. But, again, direct mailers galore.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Oops. I forgot about Greg Hinz’s interview of Speaker Welch that also touched on a new anti-crime package…

Welch: We’re still early in the process. We’ve only had one day of session this year. But there’s some things that we’re looking at. Certainly in the carjacking space. We’re looking at things in organized retail theft space. We’re looking at all of the things that we can possibly do, legally, constitutionally that we will be able to agree on, Democrats and Republicans. Everyone’s at the table right now. I do anticipate some things getting done this session that’s going to continue to build on success we had 2021. But specifically around carjackings, organized retail theft in particular.

[Hinz brings up Mayor Lightfoot’s “contention that there are people released on electronic monitors who shouldn’t be.”]

Welch: On the electronic monitoring issue that the mayor is raising, our lawyers are looking at that. You’ve got to remember the things that we have to do also have to pass constitutional muster. […]

Welch: Crime is a concern to all of us, that you do the crime you should do the time. We should also want to make sure our friends in law enforcement have the resources that they need, that law enforcement needs to be properly funded. That they need to be trained and educated. Those are things that we can help do in on budget as well. And those are part of the conversations that are ongoing as well.

Please excuse all transcription errors.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Feigenholtz is backtracking…

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (6th), who was a proud supporter of last year’s massive criminal justice reform bill, appeared to have a severe case of buyer’s remorse during the Zoom session.

“We are looking very closely to some of the reforms that we enacted,” Feigenholtz said. “It’s a big bill, and we’re gonna have to go back and make a lot of changes and remediate.”

“I don’t think that anybody bargained for repeat offenders and people who were in possession of a gun and accused of violent crime to be released on a [recognizance] bond,” she continued. […]

“We have a lot of work to do,” Feigenholtz said.