Southern Illinois News

In an Oct. 5 Facebook post, Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Harrisburg) spoke of a presentation he had given on business safety and the SAFE-T Act.

“I participated in a business safety presentation hosted by the Marion Chamber of Commerce on the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act alongside Sen. Dale Fowler and local law enforcement officials,” Windhorst wrote on Facebook.

"Great questions were brought up and discussed, with follow-up discussions planned for the future," The Marion Il. Chamber of Commerce posted. "Our panelists included Sen. Dale Fowler, State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, Chief David Fitts and Officer Chris Fozzard with the City of Marion IL Police Dept, Sheriff -elect Jeff Diederich represented the Williamson County Sheriffs Office, and Marcy Cascio-Hale represented the Williamson County State's Attorney's Office."

In recent weeks, Windhorst has spoken out against the SAFE-T Act, particularly on the elimination of cash bail. “The elimination of cash bail as outlined in the SAFE-T Act will make our communities less safe. Under the language of the statute, courts will be prohibited from detaining individuals pre-trial who are charged with serious, violent felonies, such as robbery or arson. This prohibition means many dangerous criminals will be right back out on the street within 48 hours of committing violent offenses,” said Windhorst.

Windhorst was first elected to the Illinois House in 2018. His legislative experience includes serving on the Restorative Justice, and Judiciary - Criminal committees. Windhorst resides in Metropolis.