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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (IRN) — The Illinois Senate Criminal Law and Public Safety committees heard new details Tuesday about a proposal to require police officers to be licensed by the state in an effort to increase accountability.

Kwame Raoul

Attorney General Kwame Raoul said a state licensing system would ensure that officers with repeated misconduct claims could have their licenses pulled, and prevent them from being hired in another city. He said such a system could have disciplined so-called “bad apple” cops such as Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder for killing George Floyd.

Raoul also said it is a difficult time to be a police officer.

“It is not easy to be a law enforcement officer right now in this environment, nor an officer, or chief or sheriff in charge of a department,” said Raoul.

Raoul stressed that the license system would only be referenced in cases of extremely bad conduct, and not in cases of tardiness or other minor infractions, which should be handled locally in the department.

Robert Berlin, President of the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association, said licenses will improve police departments across the state.

“All the police officers in many different departments that I have had the opportunity to work with are conscientious, hard-working, dedicated public servants that put their lives on the line every single day,” said Berlin. “If we do this right, a state certification process, I believe will result in more professional and better-trained police departments.”

Ed Wojcicki said the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police has some concerns, including one suggestion that officers get similar amounts of education as doctors, which he called a crazy idea.

By KEVIN BESSLER for the Illinois Radio Network