President's proposed budget could be costly for suburban jails
President Donald Trump's proposed budget includes as much as $4.5 billion in new spending to enforce immigration laws.
But its elimination of one immigration-related program could cost Chicago-area county jails as much as $2 million a year in federal assistance.
The budget scraps the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, established in 1994 to help defray the costs of detaining undocumented immigrants jailed while facing criminal charges. According to federal figures, Cook and its collar counties have received more than $11.5 million from the program since 2012.
The biggest loser would be Cook County, which will receive $1.3 million from the program in 2017 and has taken in almost $7.5 million from the program over the past five years. Cook officials are taking a wait-and-see approach, noting that previous administrations - including that of Barack Obama - have tried to cut the program, only to see the funding reinserted by Congress.
"We would hope that this has a similar outcome," said Frank Shuftan, spokesman for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Pat Gengler, director of administration for the Kane County sheriff's office, said Kane officials have not had a chance to review the potential impact of losing the funding. The office has received more than $1.25 million from the program since 2012.
"Understanding that this is a proposed budget makes it difficult to determine what eventually may happen once everything is finalized," he told us in an email.
Questioned about the cut last week, both White House press secretary Sean Spicer and budget director Mick Mulvaney said it's offset by plans to send more money to detention facilities elsewhere.
"It's a fairly significant increase in detention facilities because we have - the president has said he wants to stop the catch-and-release program," Mulvaney said. "And we fund that; we increase the amount of money for detention facilities for folks who come into the country illegally."
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'A Way Out'
Seven Lake County police departments are joining a national effort to help drug addicts choose treatment over jail (or worse).
Police in Gurnee, Libertyville, Mundelein, Grayslake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park and Lake Forest have formed "A Way Out Lake County." It's modeled after an initiative started in Massachusetts and since established in Naperville and Rolling Meadows.
A Way Out allows addicts to walk into any participating department and ask for help. They'll be screened over the phone by a Lake County Health Department representative, then guided to detox, if necessary, or an appropriate inpatient or outpatient program. If the person is in possession of drugs, police will take the drugs and destroy them appropriately. Those unable to afford treatment won't be turned away.
"Addiction is a disease. A Way Out treats it like one," Mundelein Public Safety Director Eric Guenther said. "We want to help people struggling with substance abuse, not arrest them."
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Goodbye to a good cop
Family, friends and colleagues with the Mount Prospect Police Department and other suburban law enforcement agencies will gather today and Saturday to say goodbye to veteran officer Larry Rosenbarski.
The 58-year-old died at his Lake in the Hills home Saturday after what's been described as a significant medical event. His journey from the corporate sector to public servant at the age of 39 was an unusual one, made possible only by a temporary pause in a state law that says a law enforcement career can't start that late in life.
Chief Tim Janowick told the Daily Herald earlier this week that Rosenbarski had a calling to law enforcement and took great pride in his vocation.
Visitation will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. today at Friedrichs Funeral Home, 320 W. Central Road in Mount Prospect. A procession Saturday morning will take Rosenbarski's remains from Friedrichs to St. Stephen Catholic Church, 1267 Everett Ave., Des Plaines, for a 9:30 a.m. funeral Mass. The procession will then head to All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines for interment.
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Ride-along
It surprised us, too, but apparently state law is unclear on whether a police dog injured in the line of duty can get an ambulance ride for potentially lifesaving treatment.
A Lake County lawmaker and Mundelein's Guenther are out to change that.
The Illinois House last week passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Carol Sente, a Democrat from Vernon Hills, that would allow first responders to take wounded police dogs for help in an ambulance. The bill now heads to the state Senate, where it will receive a first reading next week.
Guenther approached Sente about what would become House Bill 2661 after his department added a canine officer, Titan, to its ranks. They drafted the legislation together.
"We have an obligation to make sure our police dog partners are able to receive lifesaving medical treatment as soon as possible if they are badly injured in the line of duty," Sente said.
<h3 class="leadin">Teen safety
Lake in the Hills police will hold their third annual Teen Safety Series next month, covering topics ranging from substance abuse and dating violence to social media safety and the right way to handle a police encounter.
Among the speakers will be Huntley High School senior Camille Paddock, who's won acclaim for her "Cam's Dare to be Different" anti-bullying campaign.
The program takes place over three sessions, from 6 to 9 p.m. April 5 and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 12 and April 19, at the Safety Education Center, 1109 Crystal Lake Road. The class is open anyone 12 to 16 years old, but it's limited to 20 participants. Email officer Amanda Schmitt at aschmitt@lith.org to reserve a seat or call (847) 658-5676 for more information.
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