70 E. Lake Street, Suite 400 • Chicago, IL 60601 • Phone (312) 265-2260 • Fax (877) 207-5280 • www.fightcrime.org/il

Hundreds of Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Prosecutors, other Law Enforcement Leaders, and Violence Survivors Preventing Crime and Violence

February 3, 2014 The Honorable Patrick Quinn 207 Statehouse Springfield, IL 62706 (identical letter also sent to House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno) Dear Governor Quinn:

Those of us on Illinois’ front lines in the fight against crime work hard every day to take criminals off the streets. But we know that arresting, prosecuting, and imprisoning is only part of the solution to Illinois’ crime problem.

We must prevent crime before it happens through proven strategies that reach children and youth. Doing so not only spares the state the enormous financial burden of cleaning up after crime, it also spares countless Illinoisans from the tragedy of becoming victims.

That’s why law enforcement leaders from across the state have consistently called for protecting and stabilizing key programs for children and youth throughout Illinois’ recent challenging budget years. The foundation of a safe, fiscally-stable state are the programs that ensure children will become responsible, productive, and law-abiding adults.

While Illinois’ law enforcement continues to work hard to address crime as it happens, it is now time to start getting back on track with cost-effective, evidence-based investments in the programs we know will prevent crime in the long run.

In the coming weeks you will begin the process of drawing up the state’s FY 2015 budget. As you do, the members of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS ILLINOIS urge you make children’s programs that prevent crime a priority. Specifically we urge you to:

(1) Restore the 8% FY 2013 cut to the Early Childhood Education Block Grant (ECBG) line item in the State Board of Education budget. This would return funding levels to $325 million and allow Preschool for All to serve about 80,000 three- and four-year-olds. This is just a fraction of the total $80 million cut from ECBG over the past 5 years, but it would allow thousands of young children to return to their preschool classrooms. We look to you for continued leadership in supporting quality early childhood opportunities for young children, their families and our communities.

(2) Maintain level funding for home visiting programs in the IDHS budget, specifically Healthy Families Illinois and Parents Too Soon. Home visiting programs have been proven to reduce rates of child abuse and neglect and help parents acquire tools to promote their child’s social-emotional development. With federal resources for home visiting available to states, Illinois continues to reach some of the most at-risk families for the first time through the federal MIECHV grant. Illinois must not jeopardize that grant by cutting funding to home visiting programs in IDHS, which would make the state ineligible for the federal money.

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(3) Maintain level funding for Teen REACH in the IDHS budget. Juvenile crime spikes during the after-school hours. Repeated cuts to Teen Reach have left thousands of at-risk youth without a safe, productive place to go after school. In FY 2014, funding is $8.8 million- a 7 percent increase from the previous year. However, as recently as FY 10, Teen REACH funding was almost twice that level ($15.7 million).

(4) Continue funding for Redeploy Illinois to cut recidivism and costs: Effective community-based interventions are essential if we are to turn the lives of troubled youth around. Evaluation results of Redeploy Illinois show tremendous success. In fact, results of a recidivism study indicate that reoffending by Redeploy youth is less than half that of non-Redeploy youth. Redeploy Illinois saw its budget doubled in FY 2014 to $4.885 million. We urge at least that level of support for Redeploy Illinois in the final FY2015 Illinois Department of Human Services budget.

There is no substitute for tough law enforcement. But we also know from years of crime-fighting experience and rigorous research that safeguarding our communities requires giving children the right start in life through proven methods such as preventing child abuse and neglect and providing quality preschool.

Inadequate investments in these tested strategies leave thousands of Illinois children at needless risk of becoming violent or delinquent teens and adult criminals – and leave every Illinoisan at needless risk of becoming a victim.

Enclosed for your review are the FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS ILLINOIS’ Crime Prevention Policy Recommendations for FY 2015. We would like the opportunity to discuss these priorities with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Hon. Anita Alvarez Cook County State's Attorney Hon. Robert B. Berlin

DuPage County State's Attorney Hon. Thomas Dart Cook County Sheriff

Mr. Mark Donahue Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7

Hon. Tyler Edmonds Union County State's Attorney

Chief Timothy J. McCarthy Orland Park Police Department

Hon. Michael D. McCoy Peoria County Sheriff Chief Richard E. Miller

Granite City Police Department Mr. Ted Street President, Illinois State Lodge, FOP

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Hon. Joseph P. Bruscato Winnebago County State's Attorney

Chief Steven Casstevens Buffalo Grove Police Department Chief Robert Copley

Quincy Police Department

Hon. Randy Duvendack Morgan County Sheriff Hon. Donald R. Jones

Franklin County Sheriff Hon. Brendan F. Kelly St. Clair County State's Attorney

Chief Russell Laine Algonquin Police Department Chief James E. Lamkin

Schaumburg Police Department Hon. Joseph H. McMahon Kane County State's Attorney

Hon. Roger Mulch Jefferson County Sheriff Hon. Michael Nerheim

Lake County State's Attorney Chief Steven Neubauer Tinley Park Police Department

Hon. Patrick B. Perez Kane County Sheriff Chief Robert A. Porter

Downers Grove Police Department Hon. Jeff Standard Fulton County Sheriff

Hon. Brian Towne LaSalle County State's Attorney

Hon. John R. Varga Lee County Sheriff Hon. Eric Weis

Kendall County State's Attorney

Chief Thomas Weitzel Riverside Police Department Hon. Neil M. Williamson

Sangamon County Sheriff Hon. John Zaruba DuPage County Sheriff

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Chief Michael F. Acosta Maple Park Police Department Hon. Albert Algren

Warren County State's Attorney Chief Mike Andrews Benton Police Department

Chief Greg Baker South Holland Police Department

Chief Steve Balinski Kildeer Police Department Hon. Scott Bentzinger

Hancock County Sheriff

Chief Douglas Bernabei Peru Police Department Ms. Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins

Crime Survivor Chief James Black Crystal Lake Police Department

Hon. Darby Boewe Edwards County Sheriff Hon. Jamie Boyd

Kankakee County State's Attorney Hon. Carrie Boyd Pike County State's Attrorney

Hon. Jeff Boyd Rock Island County Sheriff Hon. Jerry Brady

Peoria County State's Attorney Hon. Timothy Brown Alexander County Sheriff

Chief Lawrence Burnson Homewood Police Department Chief William G. Clay

Belleville Police Department Hon. Michelle J. Courier Boone County State's Attorney

Hon. Mark Curran Lake County Sheriff Chief Mark Davis

Calumet Park Police Department Chief Bruce Dayno Riverwoods Police Department

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Chief Darin DeHaan Oregon Police Department Hon. Jerry A. DeVore

Marion County Sheriff Chief James Dison Kewanee Police Department

Chief Brent Dite Morris Police Department Hon. C. Jeffrey Doran

Carroll County Sheriff Hon. Mark Doran Ford County Sheriff

Hon. Kevin K. Doyle Putnam County Sheriff Hon. Mike Emery

McLean County Sheriff Chief Mark Erickson Morton Grove Police Department

Hon. Ramon Escapa Schuyler County State's Attorney

Chief Richard Evans South Jacksonville Police Department

Chief Bill Feithen Monmouth Police Department

Chief Brian Fengel Bartonville Police Department Chief Greg Filenko

Round Lake Park Police Department Hon. Brent Fischer Adams County Sheriff

Hon. Ed Francis Jasper County Sheriff Hon. William Glancey

Mercer County Sheriff Chief Mark B. Gleason Leland Grove Police Department

Hon. Karl H. Groesch Brown County Sheriff Chief Anthony Grootens

Jacksonville Police Department Chief Joseph Hallman Marengo Police Department

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Chief Scott D. Harris Western Illinois University Public Safety Department

Chief Fred Hayes Elwood Police Department Hon. Jason Helland

Grundy County State's Attorney

Hon. Patrick Herrmann Bureau County State's Attorney Hon. Robert Hertz

Madison County Sheriff Hon. James L. Hoyle McDonough County State's Attorney

Hon. David Hunt Piatt County Sheriff Mr. Bill Jenkins

Crime Survivor Hon. Trish Joyce Whiteside County State's Attorney

Hon. Mark R. Kallal Jersey County Sheriff Chief Frank Kaminski

Park Ridge Police Department Hon. Joe Keeling Wabash County Sheriff

Mr. John H. Kennedy Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police

Hon. Randy Kern Pulaski County Sheriff Chief Dennis Koletsos

Northlake Police Department

Chief James Kruger Oak Brook Police Department Chief Michael Kuelper

Rock Falls Police Department Chief William R. Kushner Des Plaines Police Department

Chief Danny Langloss Dixon Police Department

Chief William LaTour John Wood Community College Police Dept

Hon. Todd W. Liston Crawford County Sheriff

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Chief Robert Lowen Woodstock Police Department Chief Eugene Lowery

DeKalb Police Department Chief Ty Lynch Genoa Police Department

Hon. James Mack Putnam County State's Attorney

Chief Harold Martin III Manhattan Police Department Hon. Scott McClintock

Henderson County State's Attorney

Chief Terry Mee East Dundee Police Department

Chief Brian Melton Morrison Police Department Chief Justin Meyer

Minooka Police Department

Chief Daniel C. Meyers Montgomery Police Department

Chief Joe Miller Palos Park Police Department Hon. Michael A. Miller

Shelby County Sheriff

Hon. Gregory M. Minger Woodford County State’s Attorney

Hon. John Monnet Effingham County Sheriff Hon. Edward B. Motley

Edgar County Sheriff

Chief Gerald Mourning Arlington Heights Police Department

Chief Dennis L. Murrin Lansing Police Department Chief Jan W. Noble

Belvidere Police Department

Chief Patrick O'Connor Moraine Valley Police Department

Hon. Evan Owens Franklin County State's Attorney Hon. James Padilla

Henry County Sheriff

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Chief William Parks Canton Park Police Hon. Terence M. Patton

Henry County State's Attorney Chief Robert Pavelchik Villa Park Police Department

Dir. Ignacio J. Pena Village of Channahon Chief Lazaro Perez

West Chicago Police Department Chief Les Peterson Summit Police Department

Chief Mark Poulos Coal Valley Police Department Chief Ronald Price

Bannockburn Police Department Chief Chad Pusey Oblong Police Department

Hon. Richard Randall Kendall County Sheriff Chief Larry Regnier

Kankakee Police Department Chief Jim Ritz Berwyn Police Department

Hon. Robert E. Russell Marshall County Sheriff Hon. Don L. Schieferdecker

Schuyler County Sheriff Chief Gary J. Schira Batavia Police Department

Hon. Richard Schmack DeKalb County State’s Attorney

Hon. Thomas Schneider Macon County Sheriff Chief Thomas G. Scully

Orland Hills Police Department

Chief Paul Shafer Highland Park Police Department

Chief Kevin W. Shaughnessy Lemont Police Department

Mr. Sean Smoot Policeman's Benevolent & Protective Association of Illinois

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Hon. David Snyders Stephenson County Sheriff Chief Steven Stelter

Brookfield Police Department Chief Dean Strzelecki Niles Police Department

Chief Dustin Sutton Peoria Heights Police Department

Chief Jeffrey Swoboda Elgin Police Department Chief Shawn Talluto

West Frankfort Police Department

Chief Rick Tanksley Oak Park Police Department Hon. Tom Templeton

LaSalle County Sheriff Hon. Jeff Thomas Moultrie County Sheriff

Hon. Kevin W. Turner Jo Daviess County Sheriff Chief Robert Uranich

LaSalle Police Department Hon. Rick VanBrooker McDonough County Sheriff

Hon. Bennie Vick Williamson County Sheriff Hon. Gina Vonderheide

Shelby County State's Attorney Chief Wayne Walles Waukegan Police Department

Hon. Richard Watson St. Clair County Sheriff's Department

Hon. Kelly C. Wilhelmi Whiteside County Sheriff Chief Robert Marshall

Naperville Police Department

Chief Brian Benton Joliet Police Department