Chicago’s State Attorney Kim Foxx Dismissed More Than 25,000 Felony Cases in Her First Three Years – Police Union Asks the Feds to Step In

 

Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has dismissed more than 25,000 felony cases – including many involving charges of murder and other serious crimes – in her first three years on the job, a new report shows. 

Foxx gained notoriety last year when she dropped felony charges against Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack on himself in January 2019. 

The Tribune found that Foxx’s higher rates of dropped cases included people accused of murder, shooting another person, sex crimes, and attacks on police officers — as well as serious drug offenses that for decades have driven much of Chicago’s street violence. 

Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara issued a letter to U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. Wednesday, calling for federal prosecutions for people arrested in looting during civil unrest. 

In the letter, which the FOP said would be hand-delivered Thursday morning, Catanzara accused Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx of failing to take action against such defendants at the state level. 

Catanzara noted that Chicago Police officers who belong to the FOP were on the front lines during civil unrest and looting back in late May, as well as early this past Monday morning. 

“Our members were subject to threats both verbally and physically, were battered with all types of bricks and rocks and stood the line to help protect the citizens and their property,” Catanzara wrote. 

“Our offices did this with the understanding that the looters and criminals would be prosecuted and held to account for their actions. It appears that this is not going to happen.” 

Referencing an attached announcement, Catanzara wrote Foxx “very plainly and without explanations has decreed that her office has instituted a ‘presumption of dismissal’ for a host of charges. 

She makes this proclamation under some arbitrary theory that the offenders were protestors and somehow had the right to commit crimes due the unfortunate death of George Floyd in Minnesota.”