Message
I write to urge you to sponsor and support House Bill 1727, the Bad Apples in Law Enforcement Accountability Act, when it is considered on the House floor. This measure is a long overdue step to insist on accountability for police officers who violate basic constitutional rights.
Over the past several years, we all have seen repeated instances – often captured on video – of a police officer violating the constitutional rights of someone, most often a Black person. In response, we are assured that these police officers are just “bad apples.” But – these so-called bad apples are very rarely held accountable. One of the reasons for this is qualified immunity, a protection that unfairly blocks victims of police violence from seeking compensation for having their constitutional rights violated by a police officer.
Illinois voters recognize the need for this approach. A recent poll showed that 9 out of 10 voters support holding law enforcement more accountable for violating individuals’ constitutional rights; 89% percent told us that this was a high priority. When specifically asked about ending qualified immunity, nearly 7 in 10 voters (69%) supported ending qualified immunity. That support was strong with independent voters (72%), collar counties (68%) and downstate (68%) voters.
Our state constitution gives all of us rights that each of us are supposed to be able to enforce. HB 1727 makes that promise meaningful. It is time to pass this law and I urge you to sponsor and support HB 1727 on the floor.
