In February, Illinois State Rep. Lisa Davis introduced a bill to make “having a mental health episode” a legal defense for “aggravated battery” against a police office. The absurd proposal, known as House Bill 3458, has now gained two co-sponsors, Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy.
LegiScan.com states of the bill:
Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that it is a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly.
Social media users have made their voices heard on how they feel about the bill. One person declared that this is just “another way to defund the police.
“They have found another way to hurt law enforcement, protection of citizens, to turn society upside down now by using mentally ill people as a tool,”another commented.
They have found another way to hurt law enforcement, protection of citizens, to turn society upside down now by using mentally ill people as a tool.
— D. Neloff (@leadnickles) March 13, 2025
The Second Cop City blog reported on the bill first, warning, “If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers. In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?”
The article added, “That’s probably by design. Davis is married to a Chicago firefighter and she probably doesn’t fancy the thought of him being attacked by a stranger without repercussions. When she’s not crafting legislation, Davis is a defense attorney in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender.”
This news breaks after some Democrat-run Chicago areas have teamed up mental health professionals with paramedics to replace police officers on some 911 calls.