Cook County Jail Back to Normal After Storm

Thelma Sardin |

Last weeks historic snowstorm crippled the greater Chicagoland area; however, things are back to normal at Cook County Jail following a civil emergency enacted by Sheriff Tom Dart. The civil emergency allowed Dart to direct staff from other sheriffs department functions to the jail.

A civil emergency is an administrative function that can be called when any conditions are created which are beyond the control of the department. The severe winter storm had caused issues with electricity, heating and manpower at the jail, according to a Cook County Sheriffs dept. press release.

According to the Cook County Sheriffs press office, the lockdown at the Cook County Jail was lifted after 42 hours. Visitations and inmate movement have since returned to normal. The Sheriffs press office also informed that boot camp inmates who had been moved out of their barracks and into an empty jail building after power went out Tuesday night, are now back in their barracks.

A maximum security division and boot camp lost power during the early stages of the storm. Flickering lights had been reported in all 11 buildings throughout the 96-acre jail campus. The buildings regained power shortly after, but available staff was an issue.

A civil emergency had not been declared by the Cook County Sheriff in more than 30 years, possibly not since the blizzard of 1979.

With all suburban court operations suspended on Wednesday and Thursday except for a limited bond court at 26th Street Darts declaring a civil emergency allowed for greater flexibility in deploying available court deputies and other staff to needed areas.

Prior to the civil emergency, Dart enacted a lockdown at the jail as well. He also took action to avoid anyone needlessly driving to the jail. Inmates who had visitation days scheduled were permitted to contact family or friends who may have been en route, encouraging them to instead stay home.

For people who left jail custody during the weather crisis, and who identified themselves as homeless, Darts office offered them the opportunity to stay overnight in an empty, but secured, jail building. He also created separate on-site overnight housing for those corrections employees who were unable to leave at the end of their shifts.

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