SR1716 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1716 LRB100 21945 MST 39929 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, For the greater part of 20 years, the United States Government has used the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act to allow the Defense Secretary to give local law enforcement agencies the Defense Department's excess military equipment at no cost to the agency; and

WHEREAS, New and used material, including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and weapons determined by the Department of Defense to be "military grade" are transferred to local law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, The increased militarization of police throughout the United States has contributed to continuing abuses of police powers, which pose a serious threat to the constitutional rights of the American People, including residents of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Militarized policing has deepened the divide between communities and police, reducing public trust in law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, The federal government and the State of Illinois have thus far failed to adequately provide reasonable long-lasting restrictions and oversight on the use of military grade weapons by police; and

WHEREAS, In 2015, then-President Barack H. Obama took steps to demilitarize local police by banning tracked armored vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms, and large-caliber weapons and ammunition; and

WHEREAS, In 2017, President Donald J. Trump rolled back the Obama-era demilitarization policies, thereby allowing military equipment, typically used for warfare, to once again be distributed to local police agencies; and

WHEREAS, The right for the governor of a state to declare martial law has been seen as a given power in his or her position during extreme circumstances; and

WHEREAS, The existence of war between a state and a limited number of its citizens in a small geographical area, stemming from a rebellious act against the government, does not invoke the necessity of martial law in that territory; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly oppose the partisan impulses and the lack of adequate solutions surrounding the demilitarization of police agencies; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we do not believe the use of military grade weapons and gear by police, in either urban or rural settings, provides safety to the residents of those communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to drastically reduce, if not eliminate, the amount of military equipment provided to local law enforcement agencies; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suspending ordinary law, more specifically as it pertains to searches and seizures, and replacing it with martial law holds no place in the State of Illinois, unless properly called for by the executive branch of the United States Government or the executive branch of the Illinois State Government; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, to all members of the United States Senate, all members of the United States House of Representatives, all members of the Illinois General Assembly, and the Governor of the State of Illinois.