Joining her colleagues in showing their support for Law Enforcement, Rep. Tony McCombie co-sponsored House Resolution 963 on January 12, 2021. The Resolution reads:
WHEREAS, The United States of America, for more than two hundred and forty years, has moved in the direction of being a society of laws and not of individual men nor women; and
WHEREAS, In order to create a society of laws, it is necessary, a requirement of every ordered nation around the world, that the society place one of its toughest burdens, the day-to-day enforcement of law and order, upon a professional group of service officers who are trained to fulfill this role; and
WHEREAS, The American people have, up until now, been distinguished among all the people of the world in our unique understanding of, and respect for, the burdens faced by law enforcement first responders, the men and women we call “the police”; and
WHEREAS, In the extraordinary year of 2020, which has now come to an end, all U.S. first responders have faced unprecedented challenges as part of their day-to-day work; because of the nature of police work and the people with whom police officers have to deal, this is and must be, as there is no alternative, a special burden, a special challenge, for first responders in the field of law enforcement; and
WHEREAS, Perhaps because of the conditions of this extraordinary and tragic year, 2020, many Americans, many well-meaning Americans, many good Americans, have become confused; all of us are bearing our own weights, and so in a time when we should be showing our uniformed men and women of law enforcement more understanding than ever, some are showing them less; and
WHEREAS, Crimes committed by police against our citizens cannot nor will not be tolerated; these individuals must be held accountable and prosecuted for their acts; and
WHEREAS, The great vast majority of men and women who wear the badge are committed to their mission of protecting law-abiding citizens and enforcing the laws of the State of Illinois, and they should not be vilified with legislation that diminishes their ability to serve, nor legislation which is punitive to those who serve honorably; and
WHEREAS, At a time when the City of Chicago sadly tallied 774 murders in 2020, a 50% increase from 2019, the General Assembly should be working to reduce crime, not moving flawed legislation through a “lame duck session”; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the sponsors of this resolution are committed to effective and thoughtful changes to the criminal justice system and policing in a bipartisan transparent manner with all stakeholders represented, and this approach on issues of this importance will serve the State of Illinois and its citizens well; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the sponsors of this resolution affirm our support for the men and women of Illinois who wear the badge.