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Antioch proclamation urges review of Illinois SAFETY Act after family testimony in board meeting
Summary
Mayor Scott Gardner and the family of Megan Boss urged amendments to the 2021 SAFETY Act at the July 23 Antioch board meeting, after Jennifer Boss described gaps in pretrial detention rules in her daughter’s case. Trustees approved a proclamation calling for legislative review and restored judicial discretion.
Mayor Scott Gardner opened the discussion by inviting the family of Megan Boss to address the board and by introducing local lawmakers in attendance.
Jennifer Boss described the search for her daughter, Megan, the subsequent discovery of Megan’s body and the arrest of a suspect she said was later released on pretrial conditions she found inadequate. She told trustees she was “absolutely horrified” that the suspect had been released and said the coroner’s report returned a cause of death of “undetermined.” She argued the 2021 SAFETY Act narrowed the grounds on which judges may detain defendants pending trial and left families and communities exposed.
“I have been trying since the day they found her,” Boss said, describing efforts to obtain legal remedies and to press lawmakers for change. She urged the village and state officials to restore judicial discretion and expand detainable offenses so that suspects who conceal deaths or otherwise create public-safety concerns are not routinely released without monitoring.
Introduced by the mayor, state representative Tom Weber and state senator Craig Wilcox addressed the board in support of legislative fixes. Representative Weber said he was working on proposals that would increase accountability and electronic monitoring in appropriate cases; Senator Wilcox and other officials present voiced similar support for changes intended to reduce the “revolving door” described by Boss.
Mayor Gardner presented a proclamation calling on the Illinois General Assembly and the governor to review and amend the SAFETY Act to restore greater judicial discretion in pretrial detention decisions, particularly for serious or violent offenses. Trustees moved, seconded and approved the proclamation unanimously; the mayor said the signed proclamation will be sent to state officials and that trustees who wish to sign may do so.
The board recorded the vote in favor of the proclamation and then recessed before continuing other agenda items. The meeting materials and the board’s action reflect a formal local call for state-level review, but do not, by themselves, change state law.
