Pilot program letting CPD officers file felony gun charges without review is expanding

Yahoo

03-04-2025

CHICAGO — A controversial pilot program that allows Chicago police officers to file low level felony gun charges without review is expanding to more police districts.
The Felony Review Bypass Pilot Program is now expanding to the 5th District after launching in the 7th District in January.
CPD Supt. Larry Snelling and the Cook County State's Attorney say the program is working and allows officers to spend more time solving crimes.
On Thursday morning, 5th District officers participated in a training led by the felony review unit supervisor for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
The bypass program allows 5th and 7th District officers to file charges and bypass felony review by a Cook County State's Attorney prosecutor for low level felony gun cases. Those include unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
Pilot program allows 7th District CPD officers to file gun charges without felony review process
After an officer files the charges, they have to be reviewed by a CPD Watch Operation Lieutenant.
Although felony review is bypassed, prosecutorial review is not. After the defendant goes to first appearance court, the case is sent to either a preliminary hearing or a grand jury.
Supt. Snelling says allowing officers to bypass felony review in certain cases puts them back to work on the streets faster.
'If an officer came in we're looking at six to eight hours wait time, sometimes even longer, to get those charges approved. That takes an officer off the street for an entire tour of duty. So if that arrest is made at the beginning of that officer's tour, that car is down the rest of the day. This helps us to get our officers back on the street,' Snelling said.
Eileen o' neill burke, cook county state's attorney
'Every single one of the bypass cases out of the 7th District has made it through preliminary hearing, which means they are solid cases, which means that is what we would expect from this program,' said Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke.
The pilot program will officially launch in the 5th District on the Far South Side Friday.
State's Attorney O'Neill Burke says her office also plans to slowly expand the program to suburban police departments.
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