Legislators in Illinois are considering a new proposal that would mandate some other businesses, like gas stations, hire armed security guards when they are open to the public.
Since carjackings are continuing on the rise in Chicago, state representative Thaddeus Jones (D-29th District), who is also the mayor of Calumet City, claims his “Armed Security Protection Act” is required to curb crime.
Jones stated that “the data suggests it’s horrible.”
Sponsors claim they favour armed guards at grocery stores, pawn shops, banks, and gas stations in addition to gas stations.
Early Walker, the owner of a towing company and philanthropist who initially offered the idea in 2021, said, “If these enterprises are in our community, they need to safeguard the residents who are essentially keeping them in business.”
His “Operation Safe Pump” provided petrol stations, particularly in Chicago’s Englewood neighbourhood, with armed security guards.
When an armed guard was present, he claimed, “we saw that civilians felt safer; citizens felt more protected and comfortable.”
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Early on, Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman of the 15th Ward backed Walker’s trial project. She said that the initiative helped businesses.
Many gas stations noticed an uptick since fewer people were filling up at their local stations, she explained.
Jones attempted to pass a comparable law in 2021, but it never made it out of committee. He claimed that because there is still a tremendous need, he has higher expectations this time. He claimed that petrol stations and grocery stores were also targets of carjackings.
“These carjackings that are occurring in settings like this make women in particular hesitant to venture out at night and occasionally during the day.”
According to several business associations, paying for security places an unfair burden on their members.
Rob Karr, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, claimed that this proposal “wrongly transfers the duty of public safety from government agencies to individual businesses, who already pay significant taxes to fund law enforcement.”
Rising crime has already compelled merchants to make large investments in security in recent years, so it’s time for a complete solution, according to Karr.
Jones takes the criticism seriously. He said that the state might have some funding to help cover those expenses.
Residents will feel comfortable entering an area where they know there is armed security, Jones said. “We want them to work with the community.”
For the time being, the law would only apply to cities with a population more than 2,000,000, so only Chicago would be affected. The earliest the bill might take effect after being passed is 2024.
