Today, our guest speaker was Bob Berlin, DuPage County State's Attorney. As it has been several years since his last presentation, he concentrated on recent developments, and matters of concern to the attendees.
Some of the many areas addressed:
  • COVID: There was a significant increase in crime during the first year of the pandemic. 
  • Opioid related crime continues to increase. Incarceration is not regarded as a solution, and the county's efforts are focused on offenders receiving treatment. For additional information on this subject, visit the DuPage County site: https://hopedupage.org/
  • Schools: prevention of violence in our schools has been and remains a priority with a comprehensive approach involving the schools, the County Health Department, and law enforcement agencies. 
  • SAFE-T Act: effective 1/1/23  judges no longer can order upfront payment of bond in order for criminal defendants to achieve pretrial release. Eligibility for pretrial release is not at the discretion of the court, and and of great concern is that the Act contains contradictory provisions regarding who is eligible for pretrial release with the concern being the potential for pretrial release of violent criminals. 
The State's Attorney website contains a wealth of information about the Office and their programs: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/statesattorney/