Filing felony charges just got easier in Kane
The Kane County state's attorney's office has developed a more efficient and accurate way to file felony charges.
And it could help prosecutors develop a database to better map crimes and trends.
"It's really a step forward for us," State's Attorney John Barsanti said Tuesday. "It wasn't this easy and this quick."
While police officers make arrests, an assistant state's attorney must give an OK for felony charges.
The information within a year or so can prove valuable in identifying trends so more resources can be channeled toward an area of need.
A few weeks ago, the office began using a wireless laptop method to help prosecutors authorize felony charges.
The process allows prosecutors to fill out an online form on a computer, which is sent to clerks at the jail for early-morning bond call.
"Now, all that information is stored," said Cheri Quillman, information technology manager at Barsanti's office, who worked with Kane County officials to develop the new system.
The computer form features pull-down menus that help eliminate typos and ensure the defendant is being charged under the proper section of state statute.
Prosecutors, including Barsanti, spend two weeks a year outside the courtroom on felony review.
One works a daytime 12-hour shift and the other overnight.
Barsanti said police departments complained to him that getting felony authorization from former State's Attorney Meg Gorecki's office was "100 percent bureaucratic red tape."
Barsanti says the new computer program will help streamline the process and work more in concert with police.
In 2005, Barsanti's first year in office, the number of new felony cases increased 18 percent over 2004, according to Annual Report of Illinois Courts. The 2006 figures are not available yet.
"I'm not concerned that we're overcharging," said Barsanti, citing his office's 95 percent felony conviction rate for last year.
"We're getting the right guys, we're getting the right charges and we're getting results on them," he said.