Overview
- The policy covers three non-violent gun possession felonies and requires body-camera evidence and watch-commander approval before officers can file charges.
- Pilot results cited by the State’s Attorney’s Office show 123 cases reviewed by a judge or grand jury with all but one resulting in an indictment or probable-cause finding, including 18 guilty pleas, two misdemeanor amendments and one restorative-justice referral.
- Officials say prosecutors still review these cases early but not in person, typically consulting by phone rather than traveling to police districts.
- Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling endorsed the expansion as a way to return officers to patrol faster, while the Public Defender and community advocates object to reduced oversight and to pilots that began in majority-Black districts.
- The State’s Attorney’s Office frames the change as streamlining processing for victims and witnesses and freeing prosecutors for violent and complex cases.