CHICAGO (WLS) --
A political fight is brewing between the two most powerful female politicians in Cook County. The simmering controversy heated up another few degrees as the top players in Cook County's criminal justice system appeared together at Thursday's City Club luncheon.The county board president, chief judge, state's attorney and sheriff celebrated the fact that the Cook County Jail's population is down 20 percent in the last 18 months, thanks in large part to the increased use of electronic monitoring devices.
"That process has saved the taxpayers more than 70 million," said Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans.
But Sheriff Tom Dart and Cook County President Tony Preckwinkle worried about the 8,000 or so remaining inmates - nearly 90 percent of which are poor blacks and Latinos - each costing taxpayers $142 a day.
"The fact of the matter is that on any given day over a third of my population is seriously mentally ill," Dart said.
"So when we're talking about criminal justice in this country, we have to understand that we're talking about race and class," Preckwinkle said.
Preckwinkle thanked the courts, probation department, and public defender for helping reduce the jail population. But she did not thank state's attorney Anita Alvarez, who is up for re-election next year and was sitting only a few feet away.
When asked if she would support Alvarez's re-election, Preckwinkle said: "I'm not prepared to talk about the state's attorney's race today."
Like many state's attorneys around the country, Alvarez is under fire for prosecuting too many people of color for non-violent offenses and going easy on police officers charged with abuse.
"I've charged more police officers with crimes across the board than any of my predecessors," Alvarez said.
Attorney Kimberly Foxx - a former assistant state's attorney, and now Preckwinkle's chief of staff - confirmed that she is considering a run against Alvarez.
"There's a concern for many that our criminal justice system is not fair, that it's about crime and punishment and not about fairness and justice," Foxx said.
Alvarez did not appear concerned that Preckwinkle might support a primary challenger.
"Unless she's running Hillary Clinton against me, I think I'm gonna be okay," Alvarez said.
The 2016 Illinois Primary Election - which will include the state's attorney's race - is on March 15, 2016.
Two more police officer assassinated in Mississippi.
ReplyDeleteThis anti police rhetoric by politicians is getting very dangerous and putting cops lives in danger. Toni Preckwinkle and Tom Dart went on a 2 hour rant at that luncheon how minorities are being unfairly arrested and targeted by police for low level offenses. Anita Alvarez, shockingly, was the only sane voice in the room but then Dart/Winkle turned on her for not prosecuting enough cops. Now even official lawmen like Dart are starting to spew this dangerous rhetoric against the police. They really need to stop before more cops get targeted.
Dart is neither an official or unofficial lawman. Dart is a professional politician.
DeleteThis being a ward blog NOT surprising that the author forgot to mention the pride ward 19, Thomas J. Dart was on the Presidents side blasting the cops and Alvarez.
ReplyDeleteShe da Man!
ReplyDeletei thought this blog was dead. must have been licking your wounds for the past month.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteLet's start with Preckwinkle. 2012 down at the Uof I she said that Reagan should have a special place in hell. She want's to empty the jails
ReplyDeleteof offenders. Witness her support for releasing illegal criminal felons from CC jail four years ago.
"There's a concern for many that our criminal justice system is not fair, that it's about crime and punishment and not about fairness and justice," Foxx said
ReplyDeleteHuh? Punishment for crimes is why the criminal justice system exists. How is that opposed to fairness & justice?
Commissioner John Fritchey may be angling for a run at the States Attorney job.
ReplyDeleteShe is Obama in a dress.....but at least she is competent at her job.
ReplyDelete"My Population"? Does this fat head ever stop? My Population, my jail. This prick has had every government position he's ever held handed to him. And all he does is bitch about it. He's a media hog, a "Kodacker", on the radio, on tv, whining about everything. Sheahan held that job, had overcrowding consistently, dealt with it and never a complaint. Frankly, I'm tired of listening to this pussy carp about "His" anything. If he can't handle his job, the duties he swore an oath to perform, then resign, and shut the fuck up.
ReplyDeleteBoth Dart and Preckwinkle had legislative positions. Dart could draft bills, Preckwinkle ordinances. If these 2 lefties want to empty the jails, they had opportunities to draft legislation, statewide or locally, to amend existing laws. You don't want the laws enforced, take them off the books. I wish dog flu on the both of them.
ReplyDeletewell then why did all us fools in the 19th ward support her BIG TIME in her first election?
ReplyDeletepolice sheriffs employees blame yourself for voting like sheep for the Democrat machine stooges
and this from today's Southtown. The Sheriff, known for treating his employees like shit, yukking it up with a couple inmates at a house demolition in Dolton....
ReplyDelete"Dart repurposed the boot camp, formally the Vocational Rehabilitation Center, in November 2013 from its original military-style training program. The program requires six months residential detention and eight months of post-release house arrest, spokesman Benjamin Breit said, adding that the house arrest can be cut short if and when an inmate shows he has found a full-time job. During the post-release phase, inmates must continue working without pay three days a week for the program.
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The breakfast seemed more like a roundtable conversation than a formal event, with Dart wearing a windbreaker, clutching a paper Starbucks cup and exchanging thoughts with the inmates, Rodgers and one of the residents, Trentwood Jordan, 47.
"Hell, I couldn't do any of the stuff you guys can do," Dart told the detainees, referring to their newfound carpentry and demolition skills. "My house would fall down."
Yep, chumming it up with detainees and wouldn't give one of his employees the time of day....what a jag!