Illinois Officials Aren't Consulting Local Cops About Important Policing Reforms: Riverside Chief to Governor

Last year’s Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform Report was released a couple of months ago, and Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel isn’t too happy about it.

Weitzel penned letters to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx detailing his disappointment in the fact that no suburban police chiefs, executives or anyone appointed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police were included in any recommendations written about in the report.

“Many recommendations in the report I agree with and some I do not, but my main concern is that your staff did not appoint anyone from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police or ask a local law enforcement police chief or executive to serve on the committee along with the Sheriffs,” he wrote in his letter to Rauner, which he sent Jan. 26 of this year.

He made the point in both letters that these decisions and recommendations were made by those who ultimately won’t be dealing with these crimes and issues hands-on.

“Local law enforcement executives must have input as we are the end product,” he wrote to Rauner. “[We] are the ones that will be dealing with the outcomes and local issues when it comes to these reform suggestions.”

One of the things Weitzel took the most issue with was the suggestion that Cook County alter the way it charges retail theft offenders.

According to the report, retail theft arrestees would be met with a $1,000 threshold, and if further charges were to be explored, that person would have to have committed 10 previous retail thefts for consideration of felony enhancement.

“Although the $1,000 threshold is something I could live with, I do not agree with it,” Weitzel wrote to Foxx in a letter from December of last year. “However, 10 convictions for felony enhancement is absolutely absurd; anyone with 10 convictions should already be in prison.”

Weitzel said in the letter he’s never seen someone with that number of previous retail theft convictions, and he’s been in the field for 32 years.

“What you are asking our officers to do is to circumvent current criminal law,” he wrote, noting that no such policy would be passed in other Illinois counties.

Weitzel also wrote in his letter to Foxx that he’s concerned about where a policy change like this could lead.

“What is next?” he wrote. “Are we going to lessen the felony enhancements for driving while a license is suspended, revoked, or when DUIs are based on prior DUI convictions? It is a slippery slope and contrary to what we should be teaching our police officers as chiefs and executives.”

He emphasized to Foxx, just as he had with Rauner, the fact that no local law enforcement representatives were asked for input in these decisions.

“It seems it has been a tradition at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to not seek the advice of those that actually have to enforce

“It seems it has been a tradition at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to not seek the advice of those that actually have to enforce the law or must ensure that their officers do,” he wrote.

As much as he may object to some of the things outlined in last year’s report, Weitzel said in a statement, it’s not the report that he takes issue with. It’s the fact that no suburban voices can be heard in the proposed decisions.

“The public image of police is complex,” he said. “It has many aspects, grounded under three general categories, in my opinion: overall image, perceptions of police outcomes and perceptions of police process. There are different ways to measure these aspects, but not including police chiefs in the overall process is simply not productive.”

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