On March 18, 2026, Awake Illinois hosted an informative livestream where Law Enforcement Fellow Retired Chief Tom Weitzel released the brand-new 2026 Public Safety Legislative Report . Following that, founder Shannon Adcock was joined by Mel Gurel of Vernon GOP where they delivered a no-nonsense briefing on the March 17 Illinois primary results. The full recording is available on YouTube , X/Twitter, and Facebook . If you care about public safety, crime, and stopping radica

Awake Illinois today announced the appointment of Chief Thomas Weitzel (Ret.) , former Chief of Police for the Village of Riverside, Illinois, as Fellow of Law Enforcement . With 37 years of law enforcement experience—including 13 years as Chief—Tom Weitzel brings deep expertise in constitutional policing, leadership, officer safety, and evidence-based reform. A respected national voice and survivor of a line-of-duty ambush, he will strengthen Awake Illinois’ work on public