Kankakee Times

State Rep. Jackie Haas (R-Kankakee) insists she’s never had greater respect or admiration for local law enforcement than she has after recently completing a ride-along with the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department.

“Last night, I had the opportunity to participate in a ride-along with the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office,” Haas posted on Facebook. “I am so happy to have had this opportunity to understand what it takes to truly serve and support our community the way they do on a daily basis. I have such great respect for all our local public safety personnel and am proud to support our law enforcement personnel.”

Haas reportedly accompanied one officer during an evening shift of patrolling the 79th Legislative District. While this was her first such outing she vowed it won’t be the last.

“It’s always been important to me to support our police, but especially in today’s world—our police need our support now more than ever,” she said. “Gun violence in the State of Illinois is now an urgent problem, especially as it continues to affect more and more innocent lives. Our police are responsible for keeping our residents and the larger community safe—doing what we can to make sure we have their backs is an easy first step and something I will continue to do even on a larger scale in the legislature.”

Haas said she also plans on continuing to push the “Reimagine Illinois” plan unveiled by House Republicans earlier this year, especially the “Ensuring Public Safety” part of the plan.

“If we are going to truly make Illinois into the best state it can be, we have to face the unchecked rise in crime,” she said. “A huge part of that means supporting law enforcement and implementing a program that would recruit and retain the best officers we can put on the streets.”