Your turn: Sowing seeds of success in Winnebago County State's Attorney's office
If you ask any dedicated prosecutor, they will tell you that they love their job because it is hard. They will tell you they cherish the trust placed in them by their community to do the right thing.
In my first two years as your state’s attorney, I am proud to report we have assembled an entire office of dedicated prosecutors. That is why, while the past two years have perhaps been the most challenging time in decades to be a prosecutor, we have not only survived — we’ve thrived.
Case backlogs caused by COVID and a courthouse fire, potential system-altering legislation and staffing shortages have all taken their toll. Yet, despite these challenges, the seeds planted in my first year as your state’s attorney began to bear fruit in 2022, particularly with respect to the prosecution of violent criminals, including those who kill, abuse women and children, and unlawfully possess firearms.
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In 2021 and 2022, we did not lose a murder jury trial and our overall trial conviction rate (bench and jury) was 72%.
We continued to aggressively prosecute child sexual abuse and child pornography cases. Our acceptance rate for such cases remains well above average and our conviction rate is above 95%.
Our Domestic Violence Unit implemented new trial strategies to turn the tide of dismissals in some of the most difficult cases to prosecute. Instead of shying away from these difficult cases, we aggressively identified previously unseen patterns of abuse. In 2022 alone, we secured 19 separate convictions for stalking. For comparison, there was only 1 such conviction in 2021. In 2020, there were 0.
In May of 2022, our effort to institute a “gun court” went live, and we have since routed over 140 gun possession charges there for targeted and specialized prosecution.
Additionally, we can now see that our complementary “intelligence-led” prosecution initiative, which focuses on the small percentage of criminals committing the major violent crimes in Winnebago County, is working.
A major crimes prosecutor spearheaded this effort and was designated a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, allowing her to bridge the gap between state and federal court and prosecute in both places. Since November of 2021, she has pre-screened every felony firearm case that comes through our system for potential federal prosecution. To date, this has resulted in over 20 serious gun-related offenses being accepted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for federal prosecution, several of which have already resulted in lengthy prison sentences.
I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of our attorneys and staff who continue to work tirelessly, and too often thanklessly, every day to seek justice and protect the public.
It has been my privilege to work on your behalf alongside our dedicated public servants, to ensure justice and fairness in our community, and to meet whatever challenges come our way.
We do not take your trust for granted and will continue to earn it in all that we do, this year and beyond, in every challenge we face.
J. Hanley is the Winnebago County State’s Attorney.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Your turn: State's Attorney's office working hard for justice
