East Central Reporter

Sen. Chapin Rose took to the Senate floor to share the life of a friend who died in the line of duty.

“You don’t need to hear from politicians,” Rose said. “You need to hear from spouses, children, those impacted by the growing crime/murder problem in this state. These people have been impacted in the worst way by that.”

The Officer Down Memorial Page reports that 606 Illinois officers died last year.

Rose is good friends with Officer Jeffrey Creel, who was with Chris Oberheim on the night of his death. Creel recovered from his gunshot wounds.

Rose told WCIA that the man who killed Creel had a criminal background.

“Chris’ partner that night is one of my best friends,” Rose said to WCIA. “Chris Oberheim’s murderer, the man who shot my friend Officer Creel as well, was a multiple convicted felon. Officer Creel and Officer Oberheim were responding to yet another domestic disturbance by that individual.”

Rose has been pushing for tougher sentences for those with gun convictions.

Sen. Don DeWitte told WCIA he believes reducing crime involves investing in mental health services.

“Democrats like to call (us) the ‘Party of No,'” DeWitte said at a press conference. “We are here with solid proposals to help get illegal guns out of our neighborhoods, keep violent criminals off of our streets, and have a major impact on reducing many of the root causes of crime by investing in mental health services.”

Amber Oberheim, Chris Oberheim's widow, supports Rose's efforts for tougher sentences.

“I find it to be a real breakthrough that Senate Republicans want to invest in reducing gun violence,” Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford said to WCIA. “It’s rare that any Republican acknowledge guns as a problem. I look forward to working with him.”

According to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, crime is up in Illinois.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re bringing order back, that we’re putting away the people who actually committed crimes,” Pritzker said to The Center Square.