McHenry County State's Attorney launches speakers bureau

Seeing it as a means to better connect his office to the residents it serves, McHenry County State's Attorney Louis Bianchi is launching a speakers bureau that will put members of his staff out in the community discussing legal issues affecting the public.

The program makes available state's attorney staff - criminal prosecutors, civil law attorneys and investigators - to schools, civic groups and other community organizations for presentations on legal and law enforcement topics of interest.

"It's a way to reach out to the community and make them aware of what we do and the areas we focus on," Bianchi said.

The project, he said, is an extension of the office's ongoing efforts to provide seminars and training in legal issues for local law enforcement officers.

"We had been getting requests from different organizations to come talk about drugs, talk about gangs, talk about our check program," Bianchi said. "This hopefully will make it more efficient for them to arrange that."

Other topics available include elder abuse, domestic violence, identity theft, the Freedom of Information Act and child support enforcement.

To arrange for a speaker, organizations can contact program coordinator Joan Hoffman at (815) 334-4159 or via e-mail at jahoffman@co.mchenry.il.us. The state's attorney office asks that presentations be scheduled 30 days in advance, but Bianchi said the office will try to make arrangements on shorter notice if possible.