Cook County Jail on lockdown pending storm

In anticipation of the winter storm, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart authorized a lockdown of the Cook County jail from 3 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. today. Visitation is canceled during the lockdown and access to the jail will be limited to clergy and legal counsel, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office issued late Tuesday. Inmates who had visitation scheduled for today were able to contact family and friends to tell them not to come.

The lockdown doesn’t affect the posting of bail for detainees, who will be released after the proper posting. Bail posting resumes at 9 a.m. today.

Homeless individuals released from custody will have the option of staying overnight in an empty, secure jail building outfitted with cots. Meal service will continue as normal.

On Tuesday evening, the jail started experiencing power issues, according to a news release. Division 9, a roughly 1,000-inmate maximum security division located near 31st and Sacramento, and the boot camp, located near 28th and Rockwell, were without power as of 9:45 p.m.

Division 9 was operating on a backup generator, providing low power and lighting. The boot camp’s roughly 200 inmates were to be transferred to an empty minimum security building on the jail campus for the night, the news release said.

Roughly 900 correctional officers were on the campus on each shift, and the sheriff’s office called in 100 other correctional officer cadets to assist with operations during the power situation, the news release said.