Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced Monday prosecutors will see pretrial incarceration for defendants charged with detainable felonies while using or possessing a firearm.
Pledging to “build a safer, stronger Cook County,” new State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke announced policy changes Monday to keep those accused of violent crime behind bars while awaiting trial.
County prosecutors will seek pretrial incarceration for defendants charged with detainable felonies while using or possessing a firearm, domestic violence involving a weapon, sex offenses involving victims under 13 years old, among others, Burke said.
The announcement followed the former appellate court judge’s swearing-in as the county’s top prosecutor. She was elected last month to replace Kim Foxx, who did not seek a third term.
Burke said her office will seek to jail any defendant charged with murder or a violent Class X felony, which includes aggravated arson, aggravated battery of a child, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery, home invasion and solicitation of murder.
Under the policy shift, prosecutors also will seek pretrial detention for violent offenses that occur on public transit, offenses involving the possession or use of an assault weapon, and cases involving the manufacture, dissemination or possession of child pornography.
“Weapons of war, violence against the vulnerable, and rampant harm to our communities will not be tolerated,” Burke said in a prepared statement.
The policy changes are aimed at reducing violence and protecting county residents by empowering prosecutors to seek detention under the SAFE-T Act, which requires prosecutors to file a detention petition before a judge can consider pretrial incarceration, according to her statement.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling offered support for the policies Monday.
“As a police officer and superintendent, I know too well the danger that assault weapons, illegal guns, and switches pose to the safety of our communities and the officers who serve them every single day,” he said in a prepared statement. “State’s Attorney Burke’s plan to crack down on offenders who use these dangerous weapons on our streets will help keep people safer in every neighborhood.”