The Cook County Public Defender’s Office is deeply concerned about the expansion of the State’s Attorney’s program that allows Chicago Police Department officers to bypass felony review in cases involving gun possession. There is no doubt that this change is rooted in a desire to build safer communities; but this change removes a critical layer of oversight that helps ensure charges are legally sound, factually supported, and brought in the interest of justice.
The felony review process has the potential to ensure that trained legal professionals evaluate the merits and validity of the arrest; it is an essential check on police authority, particularly in a system where the consequences of arrest and felony charges can be devastating. Without this safeguard, individuals may be subjected to incarceration, job loss, housing instability, and family disruption — even in cases that are ultimately dismissed or found to lack sufficient evidence.
We are particularly concerned that this program is being expanded without a clear framework to evaluate its impact on individuals, court backlogs, or racial disparities. History has shown that when oversight is diminished, the risk of injustice increases — especially for those in communities that have long experienced the burdens of aggressive policing.
The Cook County Public Defender’s Office opposes the expansion of this initiative. Strategies that focus solely on end users of firearms do little to address the supply or demand of firearms and often carry unintended and harmful consequences. These approaches are not the answer to what is a very complex and difficult challenge.
Public safety must be pursued through strategies rooted in fairness, accountability, and due process — not through shortcuts that compromise the integrity of our legal system and increase the likelihood of harm to those we serve.