Illinois Lawmaker Wants Victims To Be Able To Reopen Cold Cases

Four years ago, Kam Buckner, a Democratic state representative in Illinois, introduced a bill that would give the families of homicide victims a chance for closure by letting them petition police departments to reopen unresolved cases. The measure stalled, but each session, Buckner reintroduced it, regularly updating the bill. When Buckner renewed his effort last year, he added a companion bill that would set clear reporting requirements for Illinois law enforcement agencies. Collectively, the measures address longstanding problems cited by policymakers and gun violence survivors alike: that police don’t solve enough homicides, and that in many municipalities, it’s hard to know exactly how many cases are cleared, the Trace reports. This session, both bills are back in front of the Legislature. “If we’re serious about making our communities safer, you’ve got to arrest the perpetrators,” said Valerie Burgest, a gun violence prevention advocate who supports the bills. She wants police to exhaust all possible investigative leads for each case and be transparent about their work.

The Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act proposed by Buckner would create a pathway for families to petition law enforcement agencies to review unsolved cases that are more than three years old. If the agency approved a full reinvestigation, a new detective would be assigned. It also defines the role of family liaison officers and mandates how many of them each law enforcement agency should employ. The Homicide Data Transparency Act would establish a statewide standard for law enforcement agencies to track and publish monthly reports on homicides, with a template for communicating exactly how many cases have been closed.  Buckner and his colleagues argue that they’ll help survivors of gun violence and ultimately improve public safety. But not everyone agrees. Opponents have engaged in lengthy negotiations, contending that law enforcement agencies don’t have enough manpower to meet the requirements. Supporters say it’s simply a matter of holding police departments accountable and making survivors a priority. “Too often, our criminal justice system treats tragic murders, especially those involving Black and Brown Chicagoans, as impossible cases easily dropped at the first sign of difficulty,” Dulana Reese-Campbell, Buckner’s chief of staff, said in a statement.