Cook County Judges Refusing To Comply With Sheriff's New Security Measures At County Courthouse
By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 18, 2013 8:20PM
The Growing feud between Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans may be at the center of a series of incidents where judges are not complying with tighter security measures implemented by the Sheriff’s office this spring. An investigation by Fox News Chicago and the Better Government Association shows judges at the Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26th and California are refusing to show identification as they enter and leave the fenced-in, razor wire-lined parking lot and agree searches of their vehicles’ trunks. Dart’s office implemented the changes in April, claiming the parking lot was susceptible to an escape or other security breach from the Jail and that it provided “greater peace of mind knowing inmates are in the courthouse every day and Cook County Jail sits next door.”
Judges, however, aren’t buying it and some believe the measures are intended as tweaks from Dart to Evans. Judge Stanley Sacks called 911 in July after sheriff’s officers guarding the parking lot refused to let him leave until he produced identification. Sacks eventually was allowed to go when another officer diffused the situation before Chicago Police could respond. Sacks said he would gladly comply with the new protocols if Dart’s office could explain how a prisoner managed to sneak a shank into a courtroom bathroom in May. Dart spokesman Ben Breit, said the confiscating the shank before the inmate could use it was proof the Sheriff’s office was doing its job.
The investigation showed that roughly a quarter of the judges in the courthouse on any given day refused to cooperate with the new security guidelines; all of the judges interviewed for the investigation said there was no articulation from the Sheriff’s office as to why the measures were implemented
Here are some other incidents of judges refusing to comply with Dart’s new measures.
Judge Dennis Porter used the f-word in front of a sheriff’s officer while a passenger in a car driven by another judge on June 19. Sheriff’s paperwork had Porter saying, "I am the same judge I was this fucking morning. Fuck you."Judge James Linn refused to show his ID or open his trunk more than a dozen times in May and June, on one occasion telling an officer, "This is fucking ridiculous."
Judge Peggy Chiampas refused several times to open her trunk for inspection by an officer, once reportedly yelling, "Do you have a warrant? Without a warrant, I will never open my trunk."
Dart and Evans have been arguing for months about overcrowding at Cook County Jail and a backlog of cases in bond court. Evans released a statement Tuesday claiming he asked judges to comply with the new protocols but that Dart “does not uniformly enforce his new security procedures. He stops judges but not UPS trucks or other vehicles."
Dart said that was news to him. "Judge Evans’ reaction is puzzling given that the only response we received was from judges who felt they shouldn’t be subjected to any security measures."