Afternoon Briefing: Closing arguments underway in Crosetti Brand trial
Good afternoon, Chicago.
At just 11 years old, Jayden Perkins was brave and strong, prosecutors said today, but he was 'absolutely no match' for the grown man who rushed at his mother and stabbed her repeatedly.
In a tense courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, prosecutors began their closing arguments to the jury after a more than three-week trial that involved more than 30 witnesses and some 300 exhibits. Crosetti Brand, 39, is charged with murder, attempted murder, home invasion and aggravated domestic battery, accused of killing Jayden as he tried to protect his pregnant mother, Laterria Smith.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Members of the City Council's Latino Caucus are calling for an investigation into how Chicago police responded to Wednesday's demonstration outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in the South Loop, where federal agents detained immigrants and clashed with aldermen. Read more here.
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While Gov. JB Pritzker scored wins during legislative session, cellphone ban, other initiatives fell short
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After its inaugural year as a state-funded effort, Illinois' court-based rental assistance program for tenants struggling to pay rent and their landlords will stop accepting applications tomorrow and will see a third of its funds wiped away in the 2026 fiscal year that begins July 1. Read more here.
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The department's sit-along program is modeled after the traditional ride-along. Interested applicants spend time with a dispatcher to experience the job firsthand and the program is designed to provide a 'behind-the-scenes perspective and to foster greater interest in the role.' Every quarter HPD's recruitment team holds informational sessions, offering both in-person and virtual options. 'During these sessions, they discuss the job benefits, explain the application process, and highlight common mistakes to avoid, ' Lee said. HPD is also partnering with the state Department of Education to market the position to high school students. The recruitment team and Communications Division have collaborated with local high schools to enhance promotion and marketing of the dispatcher position. Recruitment staff and dispatchers are currently attending the State Leadership Conference at Moanalua High School to highlight the role, Lee said. Previously, the Communications Division gave a presentation to Mililani High School's Foundations in Law Enforcement class. Perreira, in an interview, lauded the Honolulu City Council's effort to intervene in the recruitment and retention of uniformed officers. He urged members to expand the push to include communications officers and civilian personnel, noting that dispatchers field the first call for help. They aid people in emergencies help them stay calm, gather information, and dispatch the police and public safety resources needed. 'The job is stressful to begin with. But conditions now have reached a point it's making it … very difficult for them to continue without some kind of intervention, ' said Perreira, noting the union has pushed this issue with the city for several years. 'We acknowledge that answers are not easy.' About one in three applicants for an HPD communications officer position makes the cut, he said, because it is 'tough work.' During the Aug. 8, 2023, West Maui wildfire that burned down Lahaina and killed 102 people, dispatchers fielded more than 4, 500 calls from people panicking about the fast-moving blaze and in need of help. 'Only so many are deemed qualified, ' Perreira said. He urged Council members and city officials to look at the pay issue and what the neighbor island counties have done. More money is not the only answer he said, but would help attract qualified applicants. Dispatchers employed by other counties may earn a salary differential each month, a boost of between $750 and $1, 000. 'But the city here has resisted. HPD's response to us is to continue a program they started that disincentives sick leave. You get the differential as long as you don't call in sick.' Communications officers are working so many hours to the point of physical, emotional and psychological fatigue. 'They have to call in sick … just to detoxify themselves, ' Perreira said. Lee said HPD received a proposal from the union regarding employee retention incentives. 'In response, an alternative compensation adjustment was discussed, which both parties generally supported as a more effective way to recognize employees actively staffing positions, ' Lee said. 'The alternative proposal is now under review by the appropriate department.' Twenty-five current police communication officers are at retirement age, which threatens to 'compound the vacancy crisis the department faces, not to mention the strain it will put on the workforce when these veteran employees leave, ' Perreira wrote Thursday. HPD has retained only 13 police communication officers hired since 2020 compared to 21 who left. Retirements will further impact staffing, and HPD is continuing 'to prioritize dispatcher recruitment.' 'We've also begun training sworn personnel to assist with call-taking and are hiring former dispatchers on a contract, part-time basis, ' Lee said. 'As the union noted, we've adjusted operational procedures and are developing contingencies to maintain operations with reduced staffing.'
