States Attorney Candidate slams Foxx for making more cutbacks

Judge Pat O’Brien, candidate for Cook County States Attorney in the November 3 General Election, slams beleaguered incumbent Kim Foxx’s decision to cut back domestic violence services, even as hotline calls increase

On Thursday, April 2, 2020, the Chicago Tribune released: A coronavirus case spurred prosecutors to cut back domestic violence services, even as hotline calls increase.

“Chicago police and domestic violence advocates say they were caught off guard this week when Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced she was removing prosecutors from the domestic violence courthouse for 14 days after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus.”

“Except in the most violent cases, prosecutors have stopped accepting criminal complaints from people seeking the arrest of their alleged abusers. Instead, they are being directed to petition in civil court for emergency orders of protection, then return in two weeks for a review by prosecutors.”

Pat O'Brien for Cook County States Attorney — Pat O’Brien for Cook County States Attorney

Another day, another bad decision from Kim Foxx. Nothing, not even a crisis of the magnitude we are experiencing, can stop Kim Foxx’s failure to display the sound judgment the people of Cook County should expect from the Chief Law Enforcement Officer.

The protection and safety of victims of crime such as domestic violence should be of paramount concern to the State’s Attorney Office, especially now, when so many are finding their freedoms restricted.

Certainly, victims, witnesses, and employees of the office need to be protected from the coronavirus. In seeking criminal complaints for domestic violence, victims are already indicating that they are at risk of harm.

There are ways to tackle this unexpected issue without discounting the safety of Cook County’s victims of abuse.

If the building’s contamination is the possible problem, clean the building. If that is not doable, secure another location to help serve victims of domestic violence. If the Assistants assigned to domestic violence are subject to infection, test the Assistants who worked with the infected employee to see who is uninfected. If no tests are available, assign other Assistants from different units. Install regular protective measures for victims and Assistants like wearing of gloves and masks if necessary.

If Kim Foxx’s solution of “not accepting [domestic violence] criminal complaints” were adopted by police, then any officer testing positive for coronavirus would be reason for their fellow officers to stop policing. That has not occurred because public safety is too important to ignore even in a time of a pandemic.

Ms. Foxx, this is not playing politics. This is a call to think of a better solution.

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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