Wake Up TriCounties Kewanee Police Chief Nick Welgat

Kewanee Police Chief Nick Welgat was our guest on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Friday, January 6th, 2023. On the show, the Kewanee Police Chief addressed concerns from citizens regarding the SAFE-T Act. One provision of the SAFE-T Act that had citizens very concerned was part that seemed prevent Police from arresting people who were trespassing on private property. The law, as initially written, did indicate that such trespassing would not be an arrest offense. Subsequent to that however, revisions to the SAFE-T Act did fix the issue and created scenarios wherein Police can arrest people for trespassing based on certain criteria. The Police Chief also discussed the issue of eliminating Cash Bail, a provision of the Act that is currently the subject of a Supreme Court injunction, meaning it is not currently enacted as law.