Drug crimes fill up Kane court dockets

Murder and violent crimes make up a fraction of criminal cases in Kane County, where its top prosecutor said Tuesday an increased effort could be focused on drug and other lesser offenses.

Of 3,801 felonies prosecutors filed in 2007, charges for drug dealing and possession were among the five offenses accounting for about 38 percent of the caseload, State's Attorney John Barsanti said.

"The bulk of what we do is dope and low-level felonies," Barsanti said. "Drugs really are the hands-down winner of how we charge cases."

But most of the county's top prosecutors are devoted to murder and major felonies -- which combined make up about 15 percent of the cases, a snapshot of case records to be released this year shows.

That means it might be necessary to redirect some senior prosecutors to deal with less high-profile crimes, or make a push to expand the county's drug court rehabilitation program, Barsanti said.

The drug court opened in 2000 and national advocates have hailed the program for steering addicts away from prison and into a two-year regimen of counseling and drug tests.

But expanding use of drug court would require funding and could put elected judges and state's attorneys in the delicate position of tackling the mounting caseload without appearing soft on crime.

Judge Don Hudson, chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit, said the courts would welcome an expansion of the drug and mental-health courts if there's an increase in manpower and money.

"They've been successful in reducing recidivism and enhancing the protection of the public," Hudson said.

More than 36 departments in Kane County rely on the state's attorney to authorize charges, and of the felonies filed in 2007, 70 percent were from officers in Aurora, Elgin, Carpentersville, the sheriff's office and St. Charles.

Lesser drug felonies, more than 685, were among other crimes such as retail theft, aggravated battery and obstruction of justice that accounted for the bulk of the cases, and require increased attention, Barsanti said.

"If you want to talk about strategies and you want to talk about caseloads, this is where you should be looking," he said.