The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office – Special Prosecutions Bureau consists of prosecutors with exemplary experience and extensive knowledge, with emphasis on long-term proactive investigations.
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez employed the services of Jack Blakey – a former federal prosecutor, to put a greater emphasis on the Special Prosecutions Bureau. In this capacity, prosecutor Blakey is responsible for heading the specialized investigations of the Bureau, involving the prosecution of public corruption, gang-related violence, and white-collar crime, as well as the attacking of the core operations of sophisticated criminal enterprises. The investigations led by the Special Prosecutions Bureau often requires a lengthy and complex process in collaboration with several state and federal agencies; however, emphasizing the work of the Bureau offers breakthroughs and development in the justice system of the County, including providing a long-term impact on the community’s progression in the intolerance and fight against violence and public corruption.
The Special Prosecutions Bureau has made significant progress and development in the prosecution of public corruption with the contribution of specially trained prosecutors and investigators of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, who has substantive experience in handling high-profile and sophisticated cases related to the Bureau. Furthermore, the Bureau has led new initiatives and legislative reforms involving consumer fraud, gang-related crimes, human trafficking, identity theft, mortgage fraud, and organized theft and fencing. Additionally, the Special Prosecutions Bureau had been active. It contributed to the remodeling of the passage of the Illinois Safe Children’s Act and the Illinois Street Gang Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute.
In 2009, the Special Prosecutions Bureau managed to secure the conviction of Shirley Glover who had prior involvement in felony acts. Glover had been sentenced to four years in prison, following the investigations on the corruption in the President’s Office of Employment Training. The defendant was convicted after pleading guilty to stealing over $100,000 after being assigned to the $14 million employment training program.
In addition to handling the prosecution of corrupt public officials, the Special Prosecutions Bureau has also managed investigation and prosecution of law enforcers, specifically police officers involved in several crimes ranging from first-degree murders to official misconduct. The successful efforts of the Special Prosecutions Bureau over the past dozen years has led to the prosecution of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to more than 150 police officers in the state.
In the past year, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office – Special Prosecutions Bureau has worked in collaboration with federal authorities and partnered with the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Special Operations to improve the Office’s efforts in the prosecution of public corruption, gang-related violence, and white-collar crime, as well as the attacking of the core operations of sophisticated criminal enterprises. The new alliance formed with federal agencies and the Chicago Police Department has recently resulted in the successful investigation and conviction of nine public officers of the state.
Updated: September 8, 2020