Cook state's attorney candidates debate how to stop violence
Candidates for Cook County state's attorney agree street violence remains a major concern for residents of Chicago and suburban Cook County. But they differ about how to reduce it.
Democrat Kim Foxx of Flossmoor advocates an holistic approach. During a recent Daily Herald editorial board interview, she advocated programs to reduce recidivism; develop jobs in neighborhoods where the economy depends on drug sales and increase social services to help people battle addiction.
Republican Christopher Pfannkuche of Chicago says when it comes to crime the state's attorney must be tough and smart. That means developing a rapport with local police departments, Pfannkuche said during the same interview.
A prosecutor for 30 years, Pfannkuche proposes sending prosecutors into communities to "put a face on the state's attorneys office" and to hear from residents themselves about crime in their communities.
Pfannkuche also supports programs that keep convictions off the records of people who meet certain conditions. Giving someone a second chance through those types of programs enables a defendant to "be a productive citizen as opposed to turning them into a hardened criminal with convictions that haunt them for the rest of their lives."
Foxx, who spent 12 years as an assistant state's attorney, says prosecutors in the gang, felony and juvenile justice units must share information among themselves to better target repeat offenders.
"We have to be smart, collaborative and strategic in thinking about violence," said Foxx, who served as chief of staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
"Some 70 percent of those who come out of the department of corrections will find their way back in," she said.
Many are in custody in part because of addiction or mental health issues, she said, adding the county jail is not the proper venue for addressing those problems.
The opponents also differed as to how to best address the problem of gangs.
Disrupting the drug trafficking that fuels them will go a long way toward disrupting gangs, said Pfannkuche, who would aggressively pursue major dealers.
"Our office has spent far too much effort on investigating, arresting and prosecuting low-level drug offenses," he said. "I want to go after suppliers and ultimate dealers."
Foxx says it's not competition for drug sales that stokes gang violence, it's young gang members fighting over petty differences like being disrespected on Facebook or in rap lyrics.
She blames the problem on the easy accessibility of guns and on gang members reacting to the slightest provocation. In the past, rivals would "duke it out and then go on their way," she said.
"There's no more duking it out, now there's shooting," she said.
Both candidates say getting illegal guns off the street is a priority. Pfannkuche would target trafficked guns, the majority of which he says come from Indiana. He proposes working with law enforcement agencies up and down the border to nab traffickers.
Foxx, who says the state's gun laws are already among the nation's strongest, proposes licensing standards, better training for gun sellers and sentencing guidelines for judges who will be required to put on the record how they came to their decision.