Effort to Curb Reckless Driving During Funeral Processions Passes State Senate

In response to ongoing resident concerns about reckless driving during funeral processions passing through the area, local elected officials are working to pass a new bill that will impose a tougher punishment on disruptive vehicles. 

The bill, SB-2154, will give police officers the power to immediately impound vehicles that are driving recklessly during a funeral procession. Introduced by Sen. Bill Cunningham (18th), the bill passed through committee last week and was unanimously approved by the full Senate on Wednesday.

"My hope is that with this new tool the police will really be able to crack down on these processions," Cunningham said.

Last week Chicago Ald. Matt O'Shea traveled to Springfield to testify on the bill's behalf. He described the dangerous atmosphere that is created when rowdy funerals make their way through the 19th Ward.

"We are trying to attack the issue from several fronts," O'Shea said after testifying. "This is just one more step in trying to keep the neighborhood safe. As long as people are acting up in processions it is putting the neighborhood in harm's way."

For O'Shea, Cunningham and the other local officials working on this issue, that is an important point. They see this bill as another tool for police officers to use, not the final answer to the problem.

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O'Shea says the approach to solving the problem of reckless funeral processions has brought together many agencies and officials. He cited the Chicago Police Department, Cook County Sheriff's Police, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and local funeral home owners as just some of the agencies who have been involved with ongoing discussions. 

In the past, the attention has largely centered around Mt. Hope Cemetery located at 11500 S. Fairfield Avenue. Last September residents staged a march to shine a light on the ongoing occurrence of reckless processions. Videos posted to YouTube show cars traveling through Beverly and Morgan Park at high rates of speed and weaving through traffic with occupants yelling insults. 

O'Shea says problems have occurred on Vincennes Avenue, 111th Street, Western Avenue amongst other streets and additionally in Blue Island, Evergreen Park and the Washington Heights neighborhood.

There already exist 12 other offenses where officers have the ability to impound vehicles, but the hope is by adding lucky number 13 they will have more enforcement power during processions.

"We met numerous times with people that live in the area, with law enforcement, with different agencies involved with cemeteries and the funeral industries to come up with remedies to the problem," Cunningham said.

One of those remedies was getting Mount Hope to agree to add a second entrance on 119th Street. The entrance has not yet been completed by the cemetery.

Cunningham says at first some senators were surprised by the proposal, but once he was able to circulate videos of the incidents they quickly understood the need for the bill. Sen. Emil Jones whose district also has been affected by unruly processions was an important partner in Springfield. 

The bill has cleared the Senate and now makes its way to the House where it is sponsored by Rep. Fran Hurley (35th) and has to first pass committee and then will come up for a full vote. That's something that can happen by mid-May.

If the bill is approved in Springfield, the Chicago City Council would then have to enact an ordinance that would place it on the books here and allow police officers to use the new power. 

Local officials stress that this is just one step and one approach in dealing with the problem. 

By hitting reckless drivers in the wallet with the immediate impounding of their vehicle, Cunningham hopes that the bill will "help return a sense of respect and dignity to the funeral processions that we see come through our community."

Read a full copy of SB-2154