Cook County sheriff to end oversight of electronic home monitoring program

CHICAGO - In Cook County, there are 1,500 accused criminals currently out on electronic home monitoring.

Starting April 1, Sheriff Tom Dart said his office will no longer enforce or monitor the program, arguing it doesn’t work and should be transferred to the control of Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans.

"This has to have some sanity brought back into it," Dart told Fox 32 Chicago.

Dart said the issue is simple: Violent offenders should remain in jail while awaiting trial, and nonviolent offenders should be on home monitoring.

However, the system isn’t functioning that way. According to data from Dart’s office, 192 people facing murder charges are on electronic monitoring, an increase of more than 200% since 2016.

Additionally, 115 people charged with murder or attempted murder are on the program, up 600%. Similar increases have been reported in cases involving sex crimes and vehicular hijackings.

"All along, we’ve said this makes no sense. When someone commits certain acts of violence, it’s not safe for them to be out in the community," Dart said.

Dart said he has lobbied lawmakers in Springfield to change the law but now believes judges assigning people to home monitoring should also run the program.

"Have the judges who have these people in front of them take accountability," Dart said. "If a violation occurs, it was judge so-and-so’s person they put out there."

Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans, whose office already runs a parallel home monitoring program for nonviolent offenders, pushed back against Dart’s decision, saying his office cannot handle the added responsibility.

"It’s safer for the public to have our two systems with separate responsibilities, and if he walks away, the community would be less safe," Evans said. He acknowledged that Dart has the legal authority to offload the program.

Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell said he believes the program is effective, noting that few individuals commit crimes while on electronic monitoring, including those accused of violent offenses.

"The reality is the vast majority of people on electronic monitoring are successful," Mitchell said. "There are exceptions to the rule, but I don’t think the alternative is locking up thousands of people."

Under the state’s no-cash-bail law, all offenders on electronic monitoring are allowed two days per week to leave their homes without restrictions. 

Dart said this policy makes it easier for individuals to commit new crimes without his office being able to enforce the terms of their monitoring.