State Cop Licenses

The Attorney General of the State of Illinois wants all police officers to be licensed by the state. Kwame Raoul says it only makes sense. He points to state licensure for doctors, hair dressers and teachers, who don’t carry guns.

You know I see stories like this and I think, sure, let's let the state run things…they are so good at running everything else.

I get it. Everyone is furious about the killing of George Floyd. I am too.

But I don’t think making cops pass a state test is going to do anything to solve the issue at hand. And I don’t like the state meddling in local matters already handled by locally elected officials.

If I had a problem with a local law enforcement professional, I would take it up with the mayor, city council or…in the case of a deputy….with the county board.

There's recourse for a pattern of misconduct. The state is already part of the equation, requiring all new cops go through 14-weeks of 500-plus hours training in either Champaign or Belleville. That's the perfect place to instill racial sensitivity and the proper use of deadly force. 

Our state government takes up to four months to process a medical doctor's license. FOID cards are supposed to be processed in 30 days. In 2019, the average was 65 days. 

State licenses for all Illinois officers is just another way to assess a fee. It won't solve anything.