A lawmaker in Illinois has proposed a bill that critics claim will allow anyone suffering from a mental illness to assault officers.
Lisa Davis, a Democratic state representative and an attorney at the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defenders’ office, presented House Bill 3458 to the legislature in February.
According to the proposed legislation, “as long as the peace officer who was battered has been a peace-officer and responded to an event in which he interacted with someone whom a reasonable police officer would have believed to be having a psychotic episode or if the person with whom he interacted had a documented illness that was abrupt, the law will provide a legal defense for aggravated assault.”
Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy have co-sponsored the bill.
A person can currently be charged in Illinois with aggravated battery for attacking “an individual that the person knew to be a police officer, volunteer community officer, fireman or private security guard, employee of a correctional institution, Department of Human Services worker supervising sexually dangerous or violent people.”
Second Cop City is a Chicago-based blog that reports on policing issues. It was this blog that first broke the story.
The blog says that if this bill passes, “mental illness would be used as an excuse for attacking and beating police officers.” Who wants to wager that thousands of people will suddenly be able to obtain doctor’s notes allowing them to assault police officers?
Davis’ proposal would legalize attacks on peace officers. Other first responders would be spared, such as firefighters, like her husband, CWB Chicago reported.
According to the report, the bill was referred to the Illinois General Assembly Rules Committee, where it will die.
