Gun Crime Strategies Unit to Identify and Prosecute High Risk Offenders (2017)

Cook County State’s Attorney (Chicago, IL)

Population: 5,211,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 900 | Contact Information

In response to its jurisdiction’s increasing rise in shootings and homicides, The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) utilized Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) resources to identify and prosecute individuals who are most likely to engage in gun-related offenses in six of Chicago’s neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

The IPS funded team used data and human intelligence to identify individuals with factors that showed future risk for involvement in violent crime. To capitalize on this intelligence, the SAO assembled a multidisciplinary Gun Crime Strategies Unit and created an early alert system to notify prosecutors when a repeat violent offender has been arrested. The IPS team also documented relevant social media evidence for use by prosecutors in these cases.