Cook County Sheriff Departments
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BOOT CAMP
The Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp is designed to provide non-violent offenders a strict detention program based on military discipline, fundamental vocational skills, education and alcohol/substance abuse treatment. In addition, the Boot Camp features an 8-month long post-detention supervision program where participants must return to the Boot Camp on a daily basis to continue educational programming.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH RELIGIOUS VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Sheriff Thomas J. Dart created the Religious Volunteer Programs to enlist volunteer clergy and members from faith based organizations to provide spiritual, educational and mentoring programs that assist in reducing the population and recidivism rate at the Cook County Department of Corrections.
COURT SERVICES
Deputy Sheriffs provide security for courtrooms and aid judges and other court officials in the orderly operation of daily business. In addition to courtroom security, deputy sheriffs operate metal detectors/security checkpoints at the entrance of each courthouse facility, where many arrests are made every year of individuals attempting to bring weapons and contraband into the facilities.
In addition to courthouse security, deputies assigned to the Court Services Division are also responsible for executing court orders in eviction proceedings, and serving court subpoenas to witnesses in civil trials. Deputies also serve orders of protection and execute arrest warrants issued in Domestic Violence court.
CUSTODIAL SERVICES
The Sheriff’s Custodial Services Department provides janitorial services for the County Building and all court facilities.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Cook County Jail is one of the largest, single site pre-trial facilities in the United States. It employs more than 3,000 correctional officers, administrators and other line staff.
The Cook County Jail has an average daily population of 9,000 inmates. The majority of inmates at the Jail, (more than 90 percent) are held on a pre-trial basis. They are detained at the Jail while their trials are conducted in the county court system. Everyday the Sheriff’s Office transports more than 1,000 inmates to and from their court appearance at the Criminal Courts Building, the County’s suburban district courts and several Chicago Police district courts.
When an inmate is convicted and given a sentence in excess of one year, he is transported to the Illinois Department of Corrections to serve the time in a state prison.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY SUPERVISION & INTERVENTION
The Department of Community Supervision & Intervention (DCSI) was created to plan, manage, and administer programs for inmates outside the Department of Corrections. Their mission is two-fold: reducing jail overcrowding while assisting participants in breaking free from the cycle of criminality. DCSI carries out their mission through four major divisions:
- Day Reporting Center (DRC) – a one-of-a-kind supervision program that provides services and direction for pre-trial, non-violent offenders. This community-based corrections program requires offenders to report to the center for daily sessions in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, violence prevention training, literacy and GED courses and job skills training.
- Electronic Monitoring (EM) – the world’s largest pre-trial monitoring program where inmates are put on “house arrest.” Many detainees are allowed to leave their homes to go to work, school or job training programs.
- Pre-Release Center (PRC) – a secure residential drug treatment program for pre-trial inmates. The center offers a variety of programs aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction and discouraging future criminal behavior.
- Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program (SWAP) – a program where non-violent offenders charged with DUI and other misdemeanor crimes “swap” jail time for community service sentences and work on a variety of public works projects such as cleaning parks, viaducts and streets.
DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN’S JUSTICE SERVICES
The Department of Women’s Justice Services was created to serve the unique needs of female inmates in Cook County Jail by utilizing gender responsive treatment. This is achieved through the following programs:
- Female Furlough Program – a program which allows hundreds of female inmates to leave the Jail, on electronic monitoring, and return to their homes each evening to care for their families. Those assigned to the program must report to the Jail early each morning and participate in drug rehabilitation, job training and effective parenting classes.
- Residential Drug Treatment – a 100-bed comprehensive therapeutic substance abuse treatment program for pre-trial detainees within the Cook County Jail. The women participate in a modified therapeutic community setting utilizing a 12-step program developed for women, which emphasizes group and individual counseling, relationship skill building, parenting classes and sober living skills.
- MOMs – a therapeutic community drug treatment program designed to accommodate 16 pregnant and/or postpartum offenders and their pre-school aged children. This off-site program treats the women with gender and culturally responsive programming aimed at helping them and their children lead healthy lives.
SHERIFF’S POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department is the third largest police department in the State of Illinois, with more than 500 sworn officers and more than 100 civilian personnel. The Department is responsible for patrolling the 72 square miles of unincorporated neighborhoods, businesses and industrial areas where more than 109,000 people reside. The Sheriff’s Police has a number of units within the Department available to other law enforcement agencies for use on a mutual aid basis, including the Bomb Unit, Evidence Technicians, Gang Crimes/Narcotic and Vice. In addition, the Department has police officers assigned to several federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA, where officers from both agencies work together on cases of regional and national scope.
The Department operates one of six accredited police training academies statewide that most local police departments utilize and also has a Fugitive Warrants Division responsible for holding and maintaining thousands of active, outstanding arrest warrants for people wanted for crimes committed throughout Cook County.
JAIL DIVERSION & CRIME PREVENTION DIVISION
The Jail Diversion and Crime Prevention Division was designed to make the Cook County Sheriff’s Office more useful and accessible to residents. It operates many vital preventive and educational programs that towns, schools and average citizens can take advantage of free of charge.
The Graffiti Removal program is a free service to property owners in Cook County. The Graffiti Removal program uses an environmentally safe, high powered blasting machine to remove graffiti from buildings
Resources available to senior citizens include:
- The Senior Citizen Law Enforcement Academy - an informational program designed to give Cook County senior citizens an overview of the criminal justice system in Cook County.
- Cell Phones for Seniors - a program that provides senior citizens with cell phones that are able to access 911 emergency access only.
- Presentations on personal safety, avoiding scams and identification theft prevention are available upon request
The Youth Services Department offers programs to prevent crime before it occurs by reaching young people early and encouraging them to stay away from gangs, drugs and other destroyers of young lives.
OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL REVIEW
The Office of Professional Review investigates allegations of various types of misconduct throughout the Sheriff’s Office in order to assure the public that official misconduct will not be tolerated.
