States Attorney.

Overview of the State’s Attorney’s Office – Cook County

about the office - cook county state's attorney

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is the second-largest prosecutor’s office in the United States, which constitutes approximately 700 litigators and attorneys, and over 1,100 support personnel. As one of the largest counties in the nation, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office oversees and manages criminal cases, including felony, misdemeanor, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other matters.

With a mission to uphold public safety, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office works with the efficient and fair administration of justice. The litigators and support personnel work with great effort to prosecute crimes while providing extensive and sensitive services to victims and witnesses. Furthermore, the office offers and enforces child support services, consumer safety, and protection of the elderly from exploitation.

The Cook County’s State Attorney’s Office consists of seven bureaus with their specialized mandates and critical activities.

Criminal Prosecutions Bureau

The Criminal Prosecutions Bureaubeing the largest unit in the office, consists of several specialized divisions such as the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Division, Felony Trial Division, and Community Justice Division. The Criminal Prosecutions Bureau is also working on over 30,000 felony cases and several hundred thousand misdemeanor cases throughout the year. The Bureau is also proud to have its nationally accredited Victim Witness Assistance Unit, which provides services to victims of crime and their families. Moreover, the Bureau includes the Special Litigation Unit and the DNA Review Unit to ensure rightful convictions and maintenance of sentences upon conviction.

Juvenile Justice Bureau

The Juvenile Justice Bureau is mandated, under Illinois law, to promote a juvenile justice system focused on ensuring rehabilitation, rather than serving punishment. Comprised of two divisions – the Child Protection Division and Delinquency Division, the Juvenile Justice Bureau aims to help justice by rectifying the harm caused to the victim and the community. It also focuses on eradicating the root causes of delinquent behavior in the youth while instilling competency and skills that will ensure their safe and productive reconnection to the community.

Special Prosecutions Bureau

The Special Prosecutions Bureau is given greater emphasis by the State’s Attorney for it involves long-term proactive research and investigations, aiming to attack the fundamental operations of criminal organizations engaged in public corruption, white-collar crime, and street gangs. The Bureau is made of different units, including the Government and Financial Crimes, Professional Standards, Auto Theft, and Gang Crimes responsible for new initiatives and legislative reforms in these areas, along with the enforcing of the passage of the Illinois Safe Children’s Act, and the Illinois Street Gang RICO statute. 

Narcotics Prosecutions Bureau

The Narcotics Prosecutions Bureau represents the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in their commitment to combat the wide-spread and devastating consequences of the use of drugs to an individual and the community. The five separate units of this Bureau all work together in response to the impact of illegal drugs. The Bureau includes the following groups: the Preliminary Hearing/Grand Jury Unit, the Narcotics Felony Trial/Special Prosecutions Unit, the Complex Drug Prosecutions Unit, the Asset Forfeiture Unit, and the Drug Treatment Programs Unit.

Civil Actions Bureau

The Civil Actions Bureau comprises three divisions – the Special Litigation Division, the Advice, Business, and Complex Litigation Division, and the Child Support Services Division. These three divisions work to represent the Cook County in civil litigations, as long as bear the responsibility of collecting funds owed for taxes and fees.

Investigations Bureau

The Investigations Bureau is made of over 120 attorneys. Those attorneys provide aid and support to the Assistant State’s Attorneys in their mission to prosecute and enforce the law through giving investigative assistance and launch investigations on specialized crimes such as public integrity, child support, election fraud, among other complex crimes.

Administrative Services Bureau

The Administrative Services Bureau handles all the administrative tasks of the office, which keep the State’s Attorney’s Office running on a day-to-day basis. This Bureau is composed of different support personnel, including law clerks, paralegals, administrative assistants, and supervisors, to receptionists and data entry clerks. It also includes units such as financial control, fleet management, information systems, human resources, and those dedicated to aid and assist victims and witnesses through the State’s Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Assistance Program.

Updated: August 6, 2020

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