Prioritizing safety and justice

On December 1st, Kim Foxx was sworn in as the new Cook County State's Attorney. Leading the second-largest prosecutor's office in the country, State's Attorney Foxx will play an enormous role in protecting public safety and ensuring justice in our region.

Cook County faces both an unprecedented level of violence and a critical lack of trust between criminal justice institutions and communities of color. Residents in our region—as well as national observers—are looking to State's Attorney Foxx to set policy that will improve the administration of justice and public safety and do so in a fair and consistent manner.

From Election Day to inaugration, State's Attorney Foxx had less than a month to set her policy agenda and transition. To do both, she convened a transition team of respected leaders and local and national experts in criminal justice and public safety. Civic Consulting Alliance and its pro bono partners, Deloitte and Mayer Brown, supported the work of the transition team.

Starting from a foundation of best practice research conducted by Civic Consulting, The PrivateBank, and the Center for Court Innovation, the transition team developed recommendations to address the new State's Attorney's top priorities. The resulting Transition Report details the first steps State's Attorney Foxx should pursue as she works to promote public safety with integrity, discretion, accountability, collaboration, and fairness.

"Improving public safety in every corner of our County is my top priority. To achieve that, we must repair and rebuild the relationship between the Cook County State's Attorney's office and the community. This report is my first official effort on that front," said State's Attorney Kim Foxx. "I am grateful for the support that Civic Consulting Alliance and its partners have provided to help make our transition a success."