We need careful approach

The thoughtful editorial in last Sunday’s Tribune (“Policing and outrage at a rushed reform bill”) clearly states the many reasons why Gov. J.B. Pritzker should not sign the 700-plus-page criminal justice reform bill passed by the lame-duck session of the General Assembly. The description of the rushed legislation as a “slap to transparency (and) to the law enforcement community” is spot-on. The editorial rightly points out that “electronic monitoring, a program that already doesn’t work well in Cook

County” would be loosened under this bill as crime victims “often see their alleged offenders right back in the neighborhood if they do get apprehended by police.”

Disturbing data from the Chicago Police Department lists 769 homicides in 2020, a huge increase from 495 in 2019. A thoughtful approach to this serious public safety problem is sorely needed.

— Christine Craven, Evergreen Park