The governor signed a bill that two local legislators worked on with the Lake County district attorney to create a task force to expedite the release of Illinois crime data.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2323 to establish a Uniform Statewide Crime Statistics Task Force.
The bill was sponsored by State Senator Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) and State Representative Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove), in conjunction with Lake County Attorney Eric Rinehart.
Edly-Allen and Didech introduced the bill in the spring, which would create a task force of law enforcement leaders and data experts to improve and accelerate the analysis and release of Illinois crime data.
Rinehart recommended the idea to both lawmakers as part of his plan to increase the use of crime data, his office said.
It currently takes months, sometimes years, for the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) with nationwide crime data to be completed and made available to the public.
“To increase public safety, improve victim services, and prevent crime, we need accurate and timely crime statistics. This task force will complement important law enforcement efforts to collect data and inform the public about crime trends,” Rinehart said after the bill was signed into law.
“The public wants to see accurate crime data and taxpayers want to know how their tax dollars are being spent with regard to new programs. Accurate and timely crime data improves our work to make all Illinoisans safer,” Rinehart said.
Edly-Allen said the state’s software system for collecting crime data needs a major update to allow law enforcement to deploy more efficiently and respond to the needs of communities in Lake County and across the state.
“This bill is a win for public safety for both citizens and first responders because it brings together experts from academia, law enforcement and the legal profession,” Edly-Allen said.
Didech said the bipartisan bill, which passed both houses of the legislature unanimously, shows “how much everyone wants access to accurate and timely crime statistics.”
“In 2024, we should not be relying on 18-month-old data to make important decisions about how to allocate resources across the state. This legislation will allow legislators, local leaders and law enforcement to analyze and prioritize immediately. We cannot be left behind on security policy,” he said.
Rinehart said there are widespread dashboards with crime data across the country.
“Some of these dashboards show data 36 hours after an incident. We need this system – not just in major cities, but in Lake County and other areas of Illinois. This task force will help us report crime trends on everything from shootings to drunk driving to theft,” the prosecutor said.
Rinehart recently reported to the Lake County Board that violent crime rates in the county have declined.
However, the prosecutor pointed out that the investigation was conducted through direct phone calls and emails to local police departments and the coroner’s office – and not through a timely state or national reporting system.
