CHICAGO, IL – On December 16, 2021, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted overwhelmingly to pass Resolution 22-0618 (hereinafter, the “Resolution”) calling for a joint virtual committee meeting on January 19, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the anti-violence prevention measures and strategies, implemented by various departments in Cook County.

Resolution 22-0618 calls for the formation of a joint committee between the Health and Hospitals Committee and the Criminal Justice Committee to facilitate this discussion. The Resolution requests reports from and to hear updates by  
· Cook County Sheriff’s Office,
· Office of the Chief Judge,
· Cook County State’s Attorney Office,
· Office of the Public Defender,
· Clerk of the Circuit Court,
· Cook County Health,
· Cook County Department of Public Health,
· Justice Advisory Council, and
· Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security.

Commissioner Bill Lowry states that,“Cook County must be proactive relative to the wave of gun violence sweeping through our communities. We must be proactive relative to the rise of carjackings. We must be proactive relative to crime…Gun violence is no longer the problem of a few often ignored communities. It is affecting everyone, everywhere.  So what are we to do? We come together – – we collaborate.”

Commissioner Dennis Deer believes that, “The pandemic has exacerbated a number of issues in our local communities that have been issues before its inception. The Board of Commissioners and the various departments we have asked to speak to this rise in violence must partner to address it holistically, because ‘if we always do what we have always done we will always get what we have always got.’ We are trying to do something different!”

“We must come up with an actionable plan to curtail the rise in violent crimes across Cook County. It should no longer be acceptable by the residents of Cook County for us as elected officials not to have a workable plan to combat the issues of rising gun violence and carjackings. We all deserve to be heard and to live in a civil society,” according to Commissioner Stanley Moore.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry, LaMont Williams ([email protected]), Deputy Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer, David Evers ([email protected]), and Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore, Warren Callahan ([email protected]).