New Cook County Chief Judge orders review of embattled electronic monitoring program
One day after he was sworn in, new Cook County Chief Judge Charles Beach said he is ordering an urgent review of the county's troubled electronic monitoring program.
The program has been under attack after a man with an ankle bracelet was accused of setting a woman on fire on a CTA Blue Line train.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Beach's office said he is "establishing a focused committee to urgently review and improve communication procedures related to alleged violations within the Circuit Court of Cook County's Electronic Monitoring (EM) program."
"The safety of the public and the integrity of our court processes remain our highest priorities," Judge Beach said. "We are committed to a transparent, evidence-based review that enhances accountability, improves coordination and reinforces the public's trust in our justice system."
The committee will be tasked with reviewing how alleged violations of electronic monitoring are handled, including communication with law enforcement, prosecutors, and other court officials, in order to strenghten the program. Preliminary results from that review are expected by the end of January.
Meantime, Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke spoke out Tuesday, arguing her office is not to blame for last month's arson attack on the Blue Line.
Speaking in front of the City Club of Chicago, O'Neill Burke acknowledged the horrifying attack on 26-year-old Bethany MaGee, who is still hospitalized for the severe burns she sustained on Nov. 17.
Prosecutors have said MaGee was minding her own business on an O'Hare-bound Blue Line train when 50-year-old Lawrence Reed set her on fire with no provocation whatsoever.
Reed has since been arrested on federal terrorism charges.
Before the attack, Reed was previously arrested more than 70 times and was on an ankle monitor with a curfew, following an alleged violent attack in August at a psychiatric hospital.
Prosecutors asked for Reed to be locked up in that case, but a judge ordered electronic monitoring instead.
"The judge didn't detain, but we did our job," O'Neill Burke said.
Records obtained by the CBS News Chicago Investigators showed Reed violated the terms of his electronic monitoring at least five times in the days prior to the attack, including on the day it happened.
O'Neill Burke said her office never received notifications that Reed violated his monitoring, but the chief judge's office blamed the state's attorney's office for that.
The chief judge's office has said the state's attorney's office wanted a pause in being sent escalated electronic monitoring alerts over concerns about the number such alerts they were receiving.
O'Neill Burke said, "That's simply not true."
O'Neill Burke said her office never requested a pause in such notifications, and added her office does not have the capacity or authority to take over electronic monitoring.
However, she noted that statement was made by the former chief judge, Timothy Evans, before Beach was sworn in as his successor.
Beach's office has not responded to O'Neill Burke's statement that her office never asked for a pause.
In April, oversight of the county's electronic monitoring program was transferred from the Cook County Sheriff's Office to the chief judge's office, prompting criticism that it is no longer overseen by law enforcement.
"I think we need to make sure that there is a law enforcement component of if somebody is not in compliance, to have the ability to go and get them," O'Neill Burke said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday that the case reveals flaws in the legal and mental health systems.
"I've said this before. I believe this case has highlighted a breakdown of our systems, our institutions, whether it's the criminal justice system or whether it's the mental health system," he said.
O'Neill Burke said she's looking forward to conversations with Beach about how to improve the current electronic monitoring system.