The Safe-T Act went into effect this week Monday, September 18th, this means that some operations for deputies will change, along with sentencing and holding for criminals. The no-cash bail system has been applied to ease the populations in jails, but some officials believe this will have adverse effects on smaller towns with different types of crime than in big cities, like Chicago.

Taylorville Chief of Police, Dwayne Wheeler says it is going to take some adapting for the officers. Wheeler continued, explaining that the relationship between the Taylorville Police Department, the state's attorney, and the county judges is strong. That relationship will come in handy when pleading a case for a crime that is detainable.

Now with the Safe-T Act in place, there is a backlog of cases that must be revisited. At the time of these crimes, the Safe-T Act was not in place, now these offenders are getting a second look at their case to determine if that crime is a detainable one now with the new legislation.

Chief Deputy of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Jim Baker says the state’s attorney, the public defender, the CCSD, and the judge will have a different take on each individual crime. Chief Deputy Baker describes what the court docket looks like in the wake of the Safe-T Act.

Pre-trial release allows the offender to walk out the doors of the jail with a court date that they must attend. The question for officers and deputies alike is will this person re-offend? Chief Wheeler says there is always the possibility of re-offending, which is why the TPD and the CCSO will work diligently to build these criminal profiles to serve proper justice.

Chief Wheeler concluded by saying the Taylorville Police Department and the members of the Community Action Team, which includes Stonington, Kincaid, Assumption, Morrisonville, and Edinburgh Police Departments will not give up, they will not surrender and are dedicated to keeping all local cities and towns safe.

Taylorville Chief of Police, Dwayne Wheeler, and Chief Deputy for the Christian County Sheriff’s Office Jim Baker both appeared as guests on the WTIM Morning Show.