ABOVE: Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates and State Rep Brandun Schweizer both have opinions against the proposed IL House Bill 4603 that would prohibit law enforcement from pulling vehicles over for very common violations.
Although Chicago Democratic State Rep Justin Slaughter has now stated on a blog that his proposed House Bill 4603 was meant to be a “conversation starter” and will not be advanced during the spring session, reaction to this proposal has brought feelings of disbelief to numerous parties.
Danville Police Chief Christopher Yates says that when he first heard about it, he had to look it up to see if it was even real. It would prohibit police from making routine traffic stops for suspected violations such as speeding, improper lane usage, operating a vehicle with expired registration, and not wearing a seat belt.
Yates says, for one thing; here in Vermilion County in 2023 there was an all time high of 30 drug overdose deaths, many involving the ultra dangerous fentanyl. And many drug seizures do begin with routine stops, as statewide stats from the month of December showed.
AUDIO: Twenty-five percent of all drug seizures, dangerous drug seizures in Illinois, were the result of traffic stops, and observations that officers made during the stops. Including heroin and fentanyl, which are the top drugs involved in fatal overdoses.
Chief Yates says, if you’re not going to allow police to pull someone over for something like lack of updated vehicle registration; then why require that, and other common traffic laws, in the first place?
AUDIO: No real speed limit; you have no real lane enforcement. Don’t have to wear your seatbelt, you don’t have to register your vehicle; how are you going to enforce it if you can’t stop someone for it. And, you know, it’s just on and on.
GOP 104th District State Rep Brandun Schweizer, who immediately released a statement against the bill after it was filed, agrees.
AUDIO: There’s no reason to not allow the police to do their job. If they want it to be legal, then make it legal. Don’t just say we’re not going to enforce it; because then we just look like we either don’t know what we’re doing, or we don’t want to do what is supposed to be done.
And as State Rep Schweizer pointed out of Neuhoff Media; a recent stoppage by Illinois State Police to a semi on Interstate 70, for improper lane usage and other minor traffic offenses, led to the discovery of a girl suspected of being forced into sex trafficing.
