Sheriff Tom Dart explained that the $35 million increase over the Cook County Sheriff's Office 2009 budget contained in the budget proposal is due primarily to required salary increases (90% of the increase), with the rest due to projected overtime expenses and food service costs. However, the Sheriff also identified several ways that cost savings could be achieved. He recently sent a letter to the Chief Judge seeking (1) elimination of the weekend bond courts in all but the 26th & California and Markham courthouses; and (2) the closure of suburban courthouses at 6 pm during the week, as is done at the Daley Center. The Sheriff said that these initiatives would free up 50 deputies who could be used elsewhere (to cut down overtime and provide more security for the courtrooms, which he believes is needed).
The Sheriff also wants Judges to permit the utilization of video conferencing for prisoners on certain court dates where all that is happening are status reports and the setting of future court dates. This would save the time and money of moving prisoners from the jail to the courthouses and back again. The Sheriff is also urging that Judges make greater use of electronic monitoring in more cases in lieu of holding defendants in jail pending trial, which is much more costly. Currently, there are under 300, though the Sheriff estimates that there could be closer to 1,000 who would qualify (e.g., no record of violence and not accused of a violent crime). The Sheriff has brought both of these cost-saving initiatives up in prior years' budget reviews.
To comply with Federal court orders in the Duran case, the Sheriff will be adding 210 new correctional officers for the jail this year. Because the hiring will be spread over the 2010 fiscal year, the costs will be manageable this year, but the Sheriff is warning that there will be a much larger cost next year when these 210 positions will be on the payroll the entire year.
The Sheriff highlighted the fact that no prisoner has had to sleep on the floor of the jail for over a year, for the first time in many, many years. The Sheriff hopes that this will help pave the way for finally ending the Duran case.
Commissioner Peraica urged that a desk audit of the many positions under the Sheriff be done, as has been done for the Health & Hospitals System (the only area with more employees in county government). Sheriff Dart said that his area is undertaking an internal desk audit, and though it is taking longer than expected, the audit has resulted in some shifting of employees. The Commissioner also brought up the Trotter Report which he said estimated that $160 million was being spent to detain non-violent drug self-abusers in jail. Commissioner Silvestri raised concerns, as he did last year, about the Sheriff having to provide policing for Ford Heights, which eliminated its police force due to lack of money. Sheriff Dart said that his department has made sure that all steps have been taken to ensure that if Ford Heights ever does get revenues, the county is in line to be paid for providing the police services.
--Submitted by Observer Pris Mims
