SAFE-T Act Reform Urgently Needed

Written by David E. Smith

Christine Shanahan McGovern, a Republican candidate for Illinois Senate District 18, recently attended a press conference calling for major reforms in the Illinois SAFE-T Act. This legislation, enacted in 2021, represents the most significant overhaul of the criminal justice system.

One of the major controversial components was the elimination of cash bail. In the years since it has gone into effect, critics of this soft-on-crime legislation point out that the elimination of cash bail also limits a judges’ ability to detain individuals deemed dangerous, potentially releasing repeat or violent offenders back into communities and increasing the risk of re-offending.

The press conference highlighted the terrible case of Megan Bos, a 37-year-old woman from Antioch. McGovern posted this commentary on her Facebook page with a link to a Fox 32 Chicago news report:

For seven long weeks, her daughter was missing.

Seven weeks of praying, searching, and hoping.

Then the unthinkable, her daughter was found in a garbage can, filled with bleach, in a backyard.

No parent should have to bury their child like this. EVER!

And yet, we are living in a system where someone accused of such a horrific act can be released, walking free with nothing more than an ankle monitor.

Let that sink in.

This is the reality under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.

This is not justice. This is not safety. This is a system that has lost its balance.

We are living in an upside-down world where ideology is taking priority over protecting innocent lives.

It has to stop!

I will fight for families like Megan’s, families forced to live with unimaginable loss, because they deserve justice, accountability, and a system that puts victims first.

Megan was reported missing in February 2025. Her body was found in April, hidden in a trash bin behind a home in Waukegan. The suspect, Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, admitted she died of a drug overdose at his residence. Instead of reporting it, he broke her phone, kept her body in his basement for two days, then concealed it outside for more than 50 days, using bleach to try to destroy evidence.

Mendoza-Gonzalez, an illegal immigrant with a criminal history, was released within 24 hours under Illinois’ SAFE-T Act. Because his charges—concealment of a homicidal death and abuse of a corpse—are not detainable offenses, the judge had no authority to hold him. The case has fueled growing outrage and calls for reform.

Earlier this month, State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) introduced HB 4104 in hopes of bringing some reform to Illinois’ broken public safety laws that allowed a non-citizen accused of concealing the death of a young woman and putting her body in a trash can in 2025 to walk free. He pointed out:

“We need to fix this failure in our laws, and the many other failings of the so-called ‘SAFE-T’ Act. We need to make the changes that are necessary to honor Megan’s life and ensure that people who should be behind bars are behind bars.”

Mendoza-Gonzalez was later detained by federal ICE agents in July 2025 due to his immigration status despite Illinois policies that limit cooperation.

This case highlights broader concerns about public safety policy in Illinois. Yet the same lawmakers who pass these laws continue to be re-elected—often in elections with low voter turnout.

Voter participation in Illinois remains low. But those who do vote decide the laws that affect every family—including families like Megan’s.

If you are not registered, or if your information has changed, register today and make a commitment to vote on November 3.