Update on 2008 Homicide Rate

On a post from August 7, 2008, we reported on statistics released by the Chicago Police Department indicating that the murder rate in Chicago was pointing to an all-time murder rate for the year. In addition, violent crime was proceeding towards a record pace. We reported that at the end of July, 2008, the murder rate was 18 percent higher than last year. The violent crime rates for the first 9 months were released at the end of September and the numbers point to a slowdown in the rates of murder and violent crime. There have been a total of 392 murders through the end of September. This means that murder rates are up by 14.6 percent compared to last year. Overall, violent crime rates are up 2.8 percent over last year.

Some people are concerned that the increased rates of murder and violent crime are due to police workers working less aggressively due to difficult contract negotiations with the City of Chicago, staff shortages due to budget cuts and poor morale. We will keep a close eye on the violent crime rates and report them to you as they become available.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Update on Louisiana Death Penalty Case

On June 25, 2008, we published a post about a Louisiana case in which the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could not be imposed for child rapists. A month later, on July 25, 2008, we published another post in which we talked about how the Louisiana Attorney General, had filed a petitiion for rehearing asking that the Supreme Court reconsider it's ruling due to evidence discovered after the ruling was first released. In the original ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy ruled that the death penalty could not be imposed on child rapists because there was a "national consensus" against executing rapists. After the original ruling, it was discovered that the United States Congress had actually authorized the imposition of the death penalty for members of the military who had been convicted of raping children. President Bush had given the military permission to seek the death penalty in such cases. Today, Justice Kennedy, along with the 5 justices who originally joined him in the majority, declined to change his original ruling find that this prior Congressional and Executive action applied to members of the military and not civilians.

It is extremely rare for the Supreme Court to reopen a case after it issued a decision. Such a decision would require that a majority of the justices agree to reopen the case. This decision finally puts an end to this issue.

For information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, visit us anytime at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

First Chicago Homeowner Links Security Cameras to Cops

Charles Hill, a private Chicago homeowner, has become the first private citizen to agree to link his five surveillance cameras to Chicago's 911 center. Two months ago, The City of Chicago made an offer to all Chicago homeowners and businesses to link their surveillance cameras to their 911 emergency center. Mr. Hill decided to take the city up on on it's offer after local kids broke $3,700 in windows outside his new house he is building in West Chatham. The city has set up a secure internet web hookup that will transmit fully encrypted video that cannot be hacked or compromised by anyone. Almost a dozen colleges, businesses and high rises have agreed to share their video surveillance with the city. Once set up, this network promises to provide an almost panoramic view of the entire city. The entities that have agree to join this network include, Boeing, Macy's, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, Golub & Company, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Sears Tower, Prudential Plaza, the Cook County Administration Building, Rush Hospital, Columbia College, Harold Washington College, St. Xavier University, DePaul University, Roosevelt University, Ike Sims Village and a group of State Street merchants.

City officials are confident that they will eventually have hundreds of additional volunteers based on the enthusiastic response they have received thus far.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Courts Not Yet Enforcing Camera Speeding Tickets

In a rather interesting article in today's Chicago Tribune, there is a report that courts are not enforcing tickets issued by van's equipped with cameras that record speeders and mail them tickets with photographs of their vehicle. So far this year, Cook County has not recorded a single conviction for any such traffic tickets issued. The Illinois Vehicle Code provides for hefty and painful penalties for motorist convicted of speeding in a work zone. The mandatory fine for speeding in a 45 m.p.h. work zone is $375, approximately $300 in court costs and a conviction that would remain on a motorists permanent driving record. This could cause a motorist's auto insurance premiums to be increased. So far this year, 814 such tickets have been issued in Cook County. 59.3% have been dismissed and the remainder have been reduced to regular speeding offenses. In 2007, 1,136 such tickets were issued and only 4.9% were convicted. In 2006, 1,528 such tickets were issued and only 4.8% were convicted. Cases get dismissed because the pictures are not clear enough to convict or police files do not come to court in time. Judge Walter Williams, the supervising traffic court judge, expressed suprise at the numbers and indicated that nobody had bought this to his attention.

Chicago motorists should anticipate that prosecutors and judges will make a greater effort to crack down on these tickets now that this article has been published and come to the public's attention.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Feds Conduct Major Drug Sweep

Today, federal agents descended on the Little Village neighborhood attempting to arrest approximately 40 members of the Latin Kings street gang. Many of the gang members charged today are high ranking members of the gang. Officers today arrested 29 individuals and are searching for 11 more. Federal agents had apparently infiltrated the street gang with audio and video surveillance and informants. In a meeting in 2007, these high ranking members were ordered to sell at least a quarter ounce of cocaine per month to supply the gang with money. At that meeting, each of the individuals attending was patted down to make sure that they did not have a wire. However, it turns out that the individual doing the pat down was actually the informant.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Kane County Sting Nabs Drivers Leaving Court

In an elaborate sting in Kane County, motorists driving on suspended or revoked licenses were nabbed by police as they were leaving the Kane County courthouse in St. Charles. Police and prosecutors identified 38 defendants who were scheduled to appear in court today and had their licenses either suspended or revoked. Then, using a combination of undercover officers and spotters stationed on surrounding office buildings, officials followed the drivers as they drove into the parking lot and entered the courthouse. Officials would then follow them as they exited the courthouse and then called officers, mostly Illinois State Police, who would curb the vehicle and arrest the offenders.

Such stings frequently take place in Cook County. A few months ago, one of our attorneys appeared in the Markham courthouse for a client charged with Driving on a Suspended License. The attorney worked out a plea agreement for the client and as the attorney was leaving the Markham Courthouse, he saw that his client had been pulled over by a Cook County Sheriff's Deputy as he was driving out of the parking lot of the courthouse.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.

Executions Drop to 13 Year Low

The Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington based group that is opposed to the death penalty, has released figures which show that forty-two people were put to death this year. This is the lowest number of executions since 1999 when 98 inmates were put to death. And the figures for next year are expected to drop even further. On January 7 the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about whether the way lethal injections are administered in 36 of the 37 states that use the death penalty are constitutional or whether they violate the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The argument is that the mixture of chemicals used in lethal injection may cause excruciating pain to inmates who are unable to express their discomfort. If the Supreme Court finds lethal injection to be unconstitutional, it will take years before states can come up with procedures that would be acceptable. Also, stays of executions have been issued in several states pending a decision in this case. Even if the Supreme Court finds lethal injections to be constitutional, it will take months for new execution dates to be set in the cases where stays have been issued. There are no more executions scheduled in the United States this year.

The vast majority of executions were in the South with 86% of the executions. Texas leads the nation with 62% of the executions.

The number of executions have been declining in recent years. And there appears to be a movement to eliminate the death penalty altogether. Last week, New Jersey's legislature outlawed the death penalty and the Governor of New Jersey, John Corzine, signed the bill into law this past Monday. Similar bills in Nebraska, New Mexico and Montana were introduced in the state legislatures but failed. State legislators are considering submitting similar bills in Maryland, Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee and California.

For more information about the Chicago criminal defense attorneys at Legal Defenders, P.C., visit us at www.thelegaldefenders.com or call us anytime at 1-800-228-7295.