Sheriff granted funds to hire crime analyst to study hot spots

The Lake County sheriff's office has been awarded a $75,000 grant to hire the county's first full-time crime analyst.

Director of Homeland Security Wayne Hunter said the money, a gift from the U.S. Department of Justice, comes as a result of work by the sheriff's and state's attorney's office and Waukegan police.

Hunter said the analyst will chart geographic patterns in crime, allowing the office to concentrate officers in "hot spots" for enforcement.

In addition, the analyst will use trends in an attempt to predict when and where crime will be occurring, Hunter said.

Lastly, the person hired for the position will expand the county's ability to seize the assets of criminals by researching personal records of drug dealers and gang members.

Hunter said the office is searching for an experienced candidate for the position, and would like to find someone with federal law enforcement experience.

Conviction upheld: The appellate court of Illinois has upheld the second-degree murder conviction of Jamal Collins of Hempsted, N.J., and Collins' 19½-year prison sentence.

In a ruling issued last week, the court ruled that the right of the former U.S. Navy sailor who stabbed fellow sailor Jamie Hernandez of Queens, N.Y., during a 2001 argument, were not violated by a delay in his trial.

Collins had argued that prosecutors were responsible for repeated delays in his case and failed to bring him to trial in the 120 days after his arraignment as the law requires.

However, the appellate court said that the majority of the delays were attributable to Collins and his attorney, and that his rights had been protected.

Drug unit grant: State's Attorney Michael Waller will be getting some new equipment for the prosecution of drug cases.

Waller said recently his office has been awarded $13,541 from an Illinois Criminal Justice Authority program aimed at bolstering drug prosecutions.

He said the money, along with $4,514 from the asset forfeiture fund in his office, will be used to purchase surveillance equipment and computer gear for the drug prosecution unit.

There were 629 felony cases filed between Oct. 1, 2006, and Sept. 30 of last year, Waller said.