Illinois SAFE-T Act 'anything other than safe': New Lenox mayor
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann argues a surge in violent crime is a state and community problem in Illinois.
A suburban Illinois mayor slammed the state's SAFE-T act Friday as "anything but safe" as the state continues to see a surge in crime spilling over from Chicago into surrounding communities.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann joined "Fox & Friends First" to call out the liberal policies keeping Illinois unsafe and how Cook County's failure to prosecute criminals is directly affecting his city.
"I represent Republicans and Democrats alike. This is not a partisan issue. This violence is happening to everybody," Baldermann told host Joey Jones, highlighting a recent carjacking involving suspects from the Chicago area.
CHICAGO MAN CHARGED AFTER ALLEGEDLY HITTING POLICE OFFICER WITH A STOLEN CAR
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx speaks at a news conference in Chicago on Feb. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
According to Fox Chicago, suspects believed to be from Cook County were fleeing police in a stolen vehicle on I-80. The six men fled the stolen vehicle on foot and ran into a New Lenox neighborhood on March 10.
"This vehicular hijacking that we're talking about, two young women that both had two children in their cars under the age of five had guns pointed at them. Three of the people that we've charged now are all in their twenties. And between the three of them, they have 27 convictions out of Cook County for violent crimes, yet they're still roaming the streets," he explained.
Baldermann said authorities need to start addressing the root causes of crime, saying the criminal justice system is failing at the state, city and county levels due to policies like "no-cash bail" that are allowing offenders to be released.
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The former police officer also addressed how gun control is not a solution as the city of Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws yet highest levels of crime.
"As a 22-year veteran of a police department, I can tell you the criminals are always going to get their hands on guns. They really don't care about gun laws. Why would they? And so that is a major problem for us here. And it's not working."
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