Alvarez Sworn In As Cook Co. State's Attorney

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Dec 1, 2008 11:03PM

Anita Alvarez was sworn in as Cook County State’s Attorney this afternoon at a reception at the G.A.R. Memorial Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center. She is the first female and first Hispanic to hold the position. Alvarez has worked in the state’s attorney’s office for 22 years, and she most recently held the No. 3 job as Chief Deputy State's Attorney. She is also a native of Pilsen and graduate of Loyola and the Chicago-Kent College of Law. In February she beat five other candidates for the Democratic nomination, and in November she beat Republican candidate Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica for the position.

“The time has come for me to just stop talking about all of these issues, and it’s time to roll up my sleeves and tackle all of these problems,” Alvarez said. The Cook County state’s attorney’s office is the second largest prosecutor’s office in the U.S., (the LA County district attorney’s office is largest). It is responsible for representing victims and prosecuting violent crime.

Post and photo by Samantha Abernethy