Illinois Democrats push new bill with incentives to keep police on the job

CHICAGO - Moderate Democrats in Springfield are pushing a new bill to keep more police officers on the job, but Republicans aren't buying it.

The plan laid out Monday would provide incentives to stay in uniform as police departments across the country are seeing large numbers of officers quit.

It would also provide more funding for mental health counseling.

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"This is not an end though for anything. This is us trying to make the streets safer and get more police officers on the street, that's it," said State Rep. Dave Vella, (D-Rockford).

"You know, we always try to be open to all ideas, but the ideas that came out the other side was just putting more people in jail and that's not working, and it cost the taxpayers too much money, and we think our ideas are better."

State Republicans are critical of the proposal.

Leaders to the Chicago Tribune Democrats are trying to "rewrite history" after pushing ideas like defunding police.