An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that critics say will make it legal for anyone experiencing a mental health episode to attack police officers.
Democratic state Rep. Lisa Davis, an attorney in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender’s office, introduced House Bill 3458 in February.
Under the terms of the legislation, the bill would “[provide] that it is a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly.”
The bill has picked up two co-sponsors, Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy.
Currently, a person in Illinois can be charged with aggravated battery if they attack “an individual whom the person knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons.”
Second Cop City, a blog that reports on Chicago policing matters, first reported on the bill.
“If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers,” the blog states.
“In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?”
Davis’ proposal would legalize attacks on peace officers. Other first responders would be spared, such as firefighters, like her husband, CWB Chicago reported.
The bill has been referred to the Illinois General Assembly Rules Committee, where unpopular legislation goes to die, the news report states.
THIS is the priority of the Democrats? Gee, I had almost forgotten how nutty they are!
That has never been legal and should not be added to certain groups’ arsenal of excuses for violence now either! It WILL be abused; you can take that to the bank! Abso-fricking-lutely no way! Cops are not psychiatrists, it’s NOT their job, and neither is permitting unrestrained violence against anyone, including themselves; that’s NOT for what we hire and pay them! Assessing, if possible in the circumstance, the level of response, yes; allowing unrestricted violence NO! People in a psychotic break retain NONE of the “normal restraints” to their violence and are extremely dangerous to all around them.