Editorial inaccurate on record of prosecutors

When the editorial board labels me the "non-prosecuting prosecutor," you are not talking just about me. You are also referring to the over 700 Assistant State's Attorneys (ASAs) in my office who work tirelessly around the clock, even during a pandemic, to ensure justice for the people of Cook County. As a prosecutor, there are legal restrictions on speaking publicly to not influence cases.

However, I must speak up here.

To say my office is not prosecuting cases is a deliberate lie. In 2021, we approved felony charges in nearly 90% of adult felony cases. Instead of using verifiable data, the editorial board chooses to assert that we are not prosecuting because of the rare cases that receive media attention, where the evidence is insufficient to approve charges. For example, the Daily Herald failed to tell the story earlier this month about a conviction and 56-year sentence for the murder of a South Holland father who was fatally stabbed at a family gathering while holding his 6-month-old daughter. Your editorial doesn't mention the conviction of aggravated kidnapping of an employee at a currency exchange in Palatine.

In addition to failing to accurately reflect our high approval rates for the most serious and violent charges, you have further failed to note our obligation to only bring charges when the evidence supports it. As journalists, your role in accurately relaying the truth should be paramount. Ignoring facts to create an alternate reality is disheartening.

Cook County has a long and painful history of wrongful convictions, and it is our duty to make sure we get it right. Every year Cook County taxpayers spend millions of dollars paying the price for wrongful convictions, as those who spent time in prison for crimes they didn't commit try to rebuild lives that were stolen from them. In the small minority of cases where charges are not approved because of insufficient evidence, we work with detectives so they know what evidence is still needed to prove their case.

In fact, the editorial board mentions the devastating death of Manuel Porties Jr., where charges were initially denied and later approved based on new evidence presented to us by law enforcement. This is an example of the system working as Schaumburg police and ASAs worked together to uncover new evidence to approve charges that can lead to a conviction.

During this holiday season, as others are home with their families, let's all remember the Cook County state's attorney's who are working 24/7 toward justice, regardless of the false and dangerous narratives.

Kim Foxx

Cook County State's Attorney