(The Center Square) – Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke says a permanent legislative solution is needed to close gaps in the county’s electronic monitoring system.
Burke and Pennie McCoach, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 308, issued a joint statement on Tuesday, following the fatal stabbing of Chicago Transit Authority worker Julian Mobley at a Green Line train station last Thursday.
Burke and McCoach said the murder suspect was on electronic monitoring, but his repeated violations were ignored because the system lacks oversight.
Vehicle hijacking, theft prevention results announced
Illinois State Police say they recovered 424 stolen or hijacked vehicles from July 2026 through September 2026 using grant funding from the Illinois Secretary of State Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council. ISP also reported 21 stolen vehicle arrests, one hijacked vehicle arrest and seven firearms seized as a result of vehicle recovery missions during the three-month period.
ISP was awarded a $10 million grant for the first fiscal year of the program, another $677,000 in June 2024, and $637,500 in July 2025.
Congresswoman introduces bill to dismantle DHS
Illinois U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, has introduced legislation to dismantle the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, abolish Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and create a new Cabinet-level Department of Community Safety.
Ramirez filed the Reimagining Safety Act on Tuesday. When she first announced the bill last month, she said $150 billion from DHS programs would be reinvested into communities around the country.
$15M in city financing backs new Chicago housing development
Chicago officials have broken ground on a mixed-income housing development supported by $9.5 million in city financing through multi-family loan funds and $5.5 million in tax increment financing funds. The LeClaire Courts North Apartments project is slated to bring 138 new homes to the city’s Southwest Side. According to a news release from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office, the development plans also include retail space and parking.
