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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CHICAGO-COOK COUNTY TASK FORCE TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN RECOMMENDATIONS REPORTING REQUIREMENT
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners took a stance to work towards the full protection of domestic violence and gender-based violence survivors; and
WHEREAS, as part of the Cook County Domestic Violence Initiative, the Board passed an amendment to provide funding as part of the FY2022 budget to improve and expand services for survivors of domestic violence, to address the immediate needs of Domestic Violence Court operations and to establish a 24-hour, 7 day a week court operation for Domestic Violence Court proceedings; and
WHEREAS, said measure was to ensure that adequate funding is available to improve and streamline operations, increase efficiency, and provide accurate information in the criminal justice system, all with the goal of ensuring the public safety of the residents of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, the processes in the criminal justice system are important to the day-to-day operations and are heavily relied on for the safety of victim-witnesses; and
WHEREAS, in addition to domestic violence processes, domestic relations especially when a child is involved are also key in ensuring both victims and the welfare of children are protected; and
WHEREAS, in 2023, the Board of Commissioners called for a public hearing and these matter and again in 2025, to hear from advocates and county public safety stakeholders on the implementation of safeguards for the protection of gender-based violence survivors and domestic
relations mediations and child representation; and
WHEREAS, due to the exponential increase in domestic violence, and as a result of such hearing, Cook County and the City of Chicago created the Chicago-Cook County Task Force to Reduce Violence Against Women to make recommendations to the Mayor of the City of Chicago, the Chicago City Council, the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the Cook County Board of Commissioners concerning the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to collaboratively address violence against women in the City of Chicago and the County of Cook; and
WHEREAS, the task force endeavored to initiate a whole-government approach; incorporate the findings of previous and concurrent task forces relating to women and vulnerable communities; and focus on governmental responsibility to address violence against women; and
WHEREAS, the final independent report of the Task Force was presented in July 2026, providing recommendations on identified gaps, including data-sharing, oversight, and policy recommendations for future collaborative actions; and
WHEREAS, the report outlined a comprehensive list of recommendations aimed at enhancing the measures employed to address domestic violence-related issues and to support victims; and
WHEREAS, to ensure the implementation of the report’s recommendations, for the City of Chicago and Cook County governments, it is important to commit to reporting progress to both governmental bodies on a regular basis;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby requests that the Criminal Justice Stakeholders provide a comprehensive outline of necessary measures needed to implement the recommendations of the Final Report of the Chicago-Cook County Task Force to Reduce Violence Against Women; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a quarterly meeting of the Criminal Justice Committee of the Board of Commissioners shall be convened to receive an update on the progress being made towards achieving the aforementioned recommendations, commencing with the 1st quarter of the 2027 fiscal year.
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective upon passage.
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