A bill introduced in Illinois that would prohibit cops from pulling drivers over for speeding or not having license plate would be a “gift” to criminals, retired police chief says.
“Criminals will love it,” retired Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel told Fox News Digital of House Bill 4603. “… it’s a ‘here it’s your birthday or Merry Christmas, here’s a gift for you.’”
Democratic state Rep. Justin Slaughter introduced the bill Monday, which would prohibit cops from pulling people over for traffic infractions such as: speeding up to 25 miles per hour over the limit; driving with an expired registration sticker; failing to display registration plates or stickers; not wearing a seat belt; or driving with defective mirrors and excessively tinted windows.
Slaughter told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the bill was intended to “start the conversation” on justice reforms and racial profiling, noting that the bill as drafted is “very broad.”
He said he doesn’t aim to champion the bill this session, but introduced it to open the door to conversations on the matter. Â
The former chief explained that the new bill, if it should pass, would promote more crime in Illinois and tie officers’ hands from carrying out core tenets of the job.
“This is like a backdoor way to defund the police. And they want to stop a core function of law enforcement,” Weitzel argued.
He said that traffic crashes and accidents will increase if the bill passes and becomes law, motorists will further disrespect police and safe driving practices, and overall promote a “reckless” culture.
“Complaints to suburban police departments will rise for sure about speeding. Traffic enforcement is a core function and especially in suburban police departments.
That’s one of the top complaints that chiefs will get: parking complaints, speeding complaints in the neighborhoods, near schools, near churches, and even in larger cities, that’s true.
It’ll take away the ability to control traffic, you will definitely see traffic accidents and crashes go up,” he said.Â
Traffic stops often lead to police discovering other criminal activities, such as outstanding warrants, with Weitzel pointing specifically to how drivers with no license plates are oftentimes thieves or other criminals who swap plates to carry out crimes.Â
© Copyright RawNews1st
