You read that right. In Chicago, right now, there are roughly 100 people accused of murder who are at home under house arrest. While we can usually find Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot behind the crime hike in her city, this brainchild was the work of a completely different idiot. Even Lightfoot has opposed the plan, but as usual, has been completely powerless to do anything about it.
Komo News reported:
Nearly 100 people charged with murder in Chicago’s Cook County have been allowed to stay out of jail under house arrest while awaiting trial, local news outlets WBBM and WGN reported.
Chicago officials point the finger at judges who have allowed violent criminals to enter into the pre-trial program.
“I’ve consistently said home monitoring is not a program for people charged with violent offenses,” Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who oversees the program, said during a virtual discussion with other leaders.
Cook County has about 2,600 people free on electronic monitoring, of which 75- 80% have been charged with a violent offense, Dart says.
According to WGNTV, the numbers from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office show the following.
- 90 people charged with murder are free on E.M.
- 40 people charged with attempted murder are free on E.M.
- 852 people charged with aggravated gun possession are free on E.M.
Klevontaye White, for example, was wanted by police over the summer after he escaped home electronic monitoring, CBS Chicago reported. He faced more than a dozen counts of aggravated sexual assault and was shot and killed by Chicago police amid an armed stand-off in July.
Mayor Lightfoot is actually opposed to this insanity but has been completely useless in stopping it. Proving, yet again, that she is not fit to run one of the nation’s most violent cities.
This stupid idea falls on Chief Judge Tim Evans who admittedly doesn’t know how many offenders are actually enrolled in the program. Lightfoot asked Evans last month to remove violent offenders from the program, but Evans rejected the plan.
“The mayor’s proposal seems to require that defendants facing certain allegations be considered guilty until proven innocent,” he said.
I don’t believe it’s a matter of guilt, but more of a public safety concern. Apparently, Judge Evan doesn’t seem worried. So, again, WTF is going on in Chicago?
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.
