Chicago Says 246 of 3,048 Monitored Defendants Are Missing After Officer's Killing
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 14
Chicago Says 246 of 3,048 Monitored Defendants Are Missing After Officer's Killing
4 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 14
Cook County data show 246 of 3,048 defendants released pretrial on ankle monitors in Chicago are missing and no longer actively wearing the devices.
The disclosure followed the killing of Officer John Bartholomew, allegedly by Alphonso Talley, a repeat offender on electronic monitoring despite multiple pending felony cases; Talley had triggered two monitor violations in early March.
The same program includes defendants accused of serious crimes, including 21 charged with murder, 13 with attempted murder, 103 with sexual assault and 173 with aggravated battery.
Recent cases have intensified scrutiny: Lawrence Reed was on monitoring when he allegedly set a woman on fire on a Chicago train, and Marlon Miller was wearing a monitor when he allegedly attacked three women downtown.
Chief Judge Charles Beach said police are actively searching for those who disappeared from monitoring and defended the SAFE-T Act and cashless bail, arguing violent reoffending also occurred under the old money-bail system.
When an offender on monitoring commits murder, is the flaw in the law, the judge, or the technology?
Are support service pilot programs the real answer to fixing Illinois' broken pre-trial release system?