State’s Attorney’s Office Adds Prosecutors to Gangs, Public Integrity Units
Restructuring of office will also create new Violent Crimes Unit
WHEATON – DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that thanks to recent funding provided by the DuPage County Board, his office will be adding two new Assistant State’s Attorney positions to better serve the residents of DuPage County. In addition to the two new positions, the Office will also create a new unit focusing on violent crimes.
“I would like to thank the County Board for listening to the voters this past election who, with a vote that received nearly 75% approval County-wide, resoundingly showed their support for a proposition in favor of funding law enforcement,” Berlin said. “This extra funding will allow us to further protect the residents of DuPage County, continue to improve upon the already outstanding legal representation provided to County government and allow us to allocate additional resources into criminal justice reform efforts through our specialty courts.”
Earlier this month, Berlin assigned one of the two additional positions to the Office’s Gang Unit. This new position will double the number of prosecutors in the Office dedicated to gang-related crimes to two. The second newly created position is within the Office’s Financial Crimes/Public Integrity Unit and will concentrate on the prosecution of elder abuse, identity theft and white-collar crimes. Both positions have been filled.
“Gangs continue to fuel violence throughout the County,” Berlin said. “This past year we have seen an alarming increase of carjackings, armed robberies and other violent crimes throughout the county. These types of violent crimes destroy our communities and bringing a second prosecutor into that unit will allow us to restore and maintain the safety and security in our neighborhoods that make DuPage County such a great place to live, work and raise a family,” Berlin continued. “Additionally, with the explosion of identity theft and other consumer scams, having another prosecutor dedicated to these types of crimes will go a long way, particularly when many of those victimized by scam artists and identity thieves are elderly.”
The Office’s new Violent Crimes Unit will be comprised of approximately a dozen experienced, existing prosecutors and will include a forensic specialist. This Unit is charged with leading prosecutions into serious, violent crimes such as murder, armed robbery and sexual assaults.
“With a marked increase in crime across the board this past year, the creation of our new Violent Crimes Unit will enhance our efforts against those crimes that have a devastating effect on our community,” Berlin said. “This new unit will draw from a pool of experienced prosecutors to work these cases and will also include a forensic specialist. With the increase in cases that rely on DNA evidence, an on-staff forensic specialist will allow us to quickly and accurately process evidence resulting in quicker arrests and stronger prosecutions. In addition, we have also instituted pro-active measures in DuPage County such as our 2019 NACO award-winning FOCUS program, which is designed to provide first-time, non-violent drug offenders the treatment, counseling, education and support needed to ensure they remain on the road to recovery and rehabilitation. I have also reassigned a third attorney to the FOCUS courtroom to help handle its more than one thousand two hundred pending cases. Coupled with our specialty courts such as Drug Court, Veteran’s Court and MICAP, which address the underlying issues that bring offenders into the criminal justice system in the first place, these initiatives will help us achieve better outcomes for the offender and the community.”
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