East Central Reporter

Adam Niemerg, a state representative for Illinois' 102nd District, has called for the repeal of the SAFE-T Act, describing it as dangerous. He expressed his views in a Facebook post.

"The SAFE-T Act puts all Illinois communities at risk," said Adam M. Niemerg, State Representative for 102nd District (R), according to Facebook. "This dangerous law needs to be repealed before more people get hurt."

According to Niemerg's post, he linked to a Fox 32 article that included comments from Jennifer Bos, the mother of Megan Bos. Megan was reported missing on March 10 and later found deceased in a storage container at a Waukegan home on April 10. Jennifer Bos told Fox 32 she cannot understand "how a person can do this to another human being and walk out of court the next day." Police in Waukegan and Antioch launched a search following Megan’s disappearance and questioned Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, who later confessed and directed authorities to her body, according to the report. Mendoza-Gonzalez was charged with concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse, and obstructing justice but was released pending trial.

Screenshot of State Representative Adam NIemerg's April 25 Facebook post | State Representative Adam Niemerg's Facebook page.

Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner is among those criticizing the release of Mendoza-Gonzalez under the SAFE-T Act. Gartner said he was shocked to learn that the suspect had been released less than 48 hours after his arrest despite the severity of the case. He urged lawmakers to revisit the law and said prosecutors should have pursued the highest possible charges to keep Mendoza-Gonzalez in custody, especially given that Megan Bos’s body had been concealed for 60 days.

The SAFE-T Act, passed in Illinois in 2021, represents significant criminal justice reform focusing on policing, pretrial procedures, and corrections. A key provision—the elimination of cash bail—took effect on September 18, 2023, replacing the cash bail system with a pretrial release process based on assessed risk rather than financial means.

Niemerg represents constituents in Illinois' 102nd District and previously served those residing in the 109th District. Active in the Illinois General Assembly since 2021, he hails from Teutopolis and holds a bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University after attending Lake Land College. Professionally, he has experience as a senior claims adjuster with Country Financial.