DOWNTOWN — A special unit of 20 prosecutors soon will be responsible for handling all new homicide cases in Cook County, State's Attorney Kim Foxx announced Tuesday.
The unit will prosecute cases "vertically" — meaning one prosecutor will stick with a case from its infancy as a police investigation through to its completion at a trial or a sentencing hearing.
Previously, multiple prosecutors could be involved in the same case as it went through the process of deciding what charges to pursue, bond court, an indictment and, finally, a trial.
Foxx said the new approach — which has been used in Cook County at the juvenile court level, as well as in New York and Los Angeles — could lead to higher conviction rates.
"It's the continuity," Foxx said at a news conference at her Downtown office at 69 W. Washington St. "It's not having to retrain other people in a case once it's been built. It's knowing cases from early on, and not having to reacclimate yourself to the evidence later. It's knowing the strength of the case before it's even charged and being able to strengthen it further."
Steven Block, chief of the county's Special Prosecution Bureau, will head the new "Homicide and Gangs Unit," as it's been described. He anticipates overseeing 20 prosecutors, including supervisors, who will juggle about 10 to 15 cases each at any given time.
"At some point," Block said, "if these assistant state's attorneys are overloaded, you lose the benefits of vertical prosecution. ... Each [prosecutor] will have the time and resources to be really dedicated to their cases."
Foxx said those chosen for the unit have at least 10 years of experience each under their belts. Existing employees will staff the unit.
There will be no staffing changes for pending murder cases, Foxx said.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson on Tuesday said he hopes the change will lead to more homicide convictions "and make [people] think twice before picking up a gun and pulling the trigger."
"We can't afford to continue to do things in the way that we've done them before in the wake of the violence that we've seen in the city of Chicago and in Cook County," Foxx said.
Since the beginning of June, Foxx has encouraged prosecutors at bond hearings to recommend people go free pending trial if they have no prior history of violent crimes and are currently charged with misdemeanors or "low-level felonies."
Ultimately, a bond court judge has the final say.
RELATED: Kim Foxx Says Nonviolent Defendants Should Go Free Pending Trial
In March, Foxx announced plans to work with the Cook County Sheriff's Office to identify and release nonviolent defendants being held in Cook County Jail, 2700 S. California Ave., because they cannot afford to pay $1,000 or less for bond.
RELATED: Kim Foxx Working To Free Poor People Stuck In Jail Over Unpaid Bonds
In December, Foxx instructed assistant state's attorneys to only pursue felony charges for retail theft if someone steals more than $1,000 worth of merchandise or has 10 prior felony convictions. Previously, shoplifters could be charged with a felony for stealing $300 to $500 worth of merchandise.
RELATED: Shoplifting Under $1,000 Will No Longer Be A Felony, Kim Foxx Says
