New program allows 7th District CPD officers to file gun charges without felony review process
CHICAGO – A new pilot program in the Chicago Police Department's 7th District allows officers to file felony gun charges without a felony review process from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
However, the program is already raising questions in the Englewood neighborhood where it will be deployed.
Right now, Chicago police have to clear all felony charges except drug cases with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office before they are filed, but in the 7th District, that's not the case anymore with gun possession cases.
'The community deserves better. Englewood deserves better. For them to launch an initiative right here, it tells you how they feel about us,' 7th District Council Member Joseph Williams said.
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Williams told WGN he was not made aware about a new pilot program that launched Jan. 1. The program is a collaboration between CPD and new Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke's office.
It allows police to file felony gun possession charges without approval from a prosecutor, who would typically review body camera footage and police reports before making a decision.
'There's a due process that we are supposed to follow, and now they're now going to give that due process solely to police officers to make that decision. If it's a felony or not, that decision should not solely be on police,' Williams said.
The 'Felony Review Bypass Pilot Program' sidesteps prosecutor approval and passes the responsibility to a CPD on-duty watch lieutenant, who determines if there is probable cause.
When asked if he supported the program, Mayor Brandon Johnson said the following.
'Constitutional policing, building relationships within the community and restoring relationships and maintaining relationships with law enforcement – that is my top priority.'
According to 'Bolts' Magazine, since the program launched on Jan. 1, the 7th Police District has filed 22 felony gun cases. In 2024, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office denied gun charges in 464 of 4,200 felony cases, a little more than 10% of the time.
'This process really just, I think, opens the floodgates to more biased policing and more false arrests. I think it's really problematic. It is not where we should be putting our resources and time, and I hope this ends,' Alexa Van Brunt, director of Northwestern University's Civil Rights Litigation Center, said.
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WGN reached out to CPD for comment and was sent the following statement:
'This initiative is currently being evaluated in collaboration between the Cook County States Attorneys Office and CPD. Public safety and community trust is at the forefront of this collaboration.'
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said it plans to share provide updates on the program in the coming weeks. The program will be reviewed every three months and could potentially expand to other area of the city.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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