State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D- Peoria) introduced legislation Thursday to enhance the safety and security of college students and area residents by requiring that local law enforcement agencies become notified when a student has been expelled or suspended for troubling behavior.
“We are looking to protect our citizens from potentially violent or seemingly disturbed individuals by making law enforcement professionals aware of the disorderly and antisocial behavior of a suspended or expelled student,” said Gordon. “I want to make sure that if a college is aware that one of their students is engaging in disturbing behavior to the point that it results in them leaving the institution, steps ought to be taken to put that person on the radar screen of law enforcement officials throughout the area.”
House Bill 2950 would require campus security officials, when they become aware of a student’s suspension or expulsion for disruptive or antisocial behavior or if a disruptive or antisocial student drops out, to turn over the relating and supporting documents to local law enforcement officials. By increasing communication between schools and other local law enforcement personnel, the goal is to prevent students who have tendencies towards violence from allowing that behavior to go unchecked.
After the horrific shootings of a U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 other Arizona residents in January, it was discovered that the prime suspect in the shootings had attended a local community college, been suspended for inappropriate behavior, and then dropped out instead of undergoing a mental health evaluation.
“With increased communication, we can take steps to more effectively prevent situations like the one that happened in Arizona from happening in Illinois,” said Gordon. “This is a common sense policy that we can enact to help make sure each law enforcement agency is on the same page when it comes to potentially harmful individuals who have been kicked out or withdrawn from college.”
For more information on this, or any of Rep. Gordon’s legislation, please contact her constituent services office at 309-681-1992.