Cook County Judges Fume Over Security Checks At Courthouse
From the Chicago Sun-Times
Judges are supposed to maintain an even-tempered demeanor on the bench.
But off the bench, there appears to be a different standard at Chicago’s Leighton Criminal Court Building - where judges are so resistant to new security procedures at the outdoor lot where they park, they are sometimes angrily refusing to comply with Cook County Sheriff’s officers staffing the post, a review by the Better Government Association and Fox 32 found.
Until this past spring, judges and others using the fenced-in, razor wire-lined lot at 26th and California were able to breeze through a checkpoint staffed by the sheriff’s office.
Beginning in April, new procedures required everyone driving into the courts complex, including judges, to show their identification and open their trunks on the way in and out of the lot - creating a slight inconvenience, but bringing greater peace of mind knowing that inmates are in the courthouse every day and that Cook County Jail sits next door, according to the sheriff’s office.
Even so, the changes haven’t gone over well with many judges - some suspect that Sheriff Tom Dart instituted the new procedures not to enhance safety but to tweak Chief Judge Timothy Evans, with whom he’s been feuding.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Sun-Times
Judges are supposed to maintain an even-tempered demeanor on the bench.
But off the bench, there appears to be a different standard at Chicago’s Leighton Criminal Court Building - where judges are so resistant to new security procedures at the outdoor lot where they park, they are sometimes angrily refusing to comply with Cook County Sheriff’s officers staffing the post, a review by the Better Government Association and Fox 32 found.
Until this past spring, judges and others using the fenced-in, razor wire-lined lot at 26th and California were able to breeze through a checkpoint staffed by the sheriff’s office.
Beginning in April, new procedures required everyone driving into the courts complex, including judges, to show their identification and open their trunks on the way in and out of the lot - creating a slight inconvenience, but bringing greater peace of mind knowing that inmates are in the courthouse every day and that Cook County Jail sits next door, according to the sheriff’s office.
Even so, the changes haven’t gone over well with many judges - some suspect that Sheriff Tom Dart instituted the new procedures not to enhance safety but to tweak Chief Judge Timothy Evans, with whom he’s been feuding.
Read more in our daily News Update...