A bill pending in the Illinois House of Representatives would further handcuff local law enforcement in responding to property crimes.

Local property crimes are up in many communities in Illinois, and Lincoln Police Chief Joe Meister indicates the response from law enforcement could be further limited if a bill pending in the Illinois House is passed in the spring legislative cycle.

According to Chief Meister, there are several issues with this legislation. Limiting the time frame of a search warrant is also in addition to not being able to execute a search warrant for a property crime valued at less than $1,000 in value.

With property crimes on the rise in Lincoln, Chief Meister calls it concerning legislation. The legislation also compounds what many communities are experiencing, and that is repeat offenders of crimes returning to the community's streets after committing crimes, thanks to the Safe-T legislation. 

Additionally, Chief Meister says HB1611 is a direct contradiction to 'Karina's Law' - legislation the Chief highlighted last week on Regional Radio.