About the Candidate
Name: Kim Foxx
DOB: April 9, 1972
Occupation: Cook County State’s Attorney
Political Experience: Former Chief of Staff, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; Former Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office
Website: kimfoxx.com
Twitter: @KimFoxxforSA
Candidate Statement
Hello, I’m Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
At an early age, I learned that your background and your zip code do not determine your ability to make a positive difference for others.
I was born in Chicago and raised by a single mother in Cabrini Green. I’ve always lived and worked in Cook County. It’s my home.
I am a wife, a mother of four teenagers, a former Assistant State’s Attorney, and today I have the privilege of being your Cook County State’s Attorney.
Over the past three years, we’ve focused on prosecuting violent crimes instead of spending disproportionate resources towards low-level offenses.
We’re bringing greater accountability and transparency to police-involved shootings, and are leading the nation in creating innovative criminal justice reform that keeps our communities safe.
We created the Gun Crimes Strategies Unit, which placed prosecutors directly in the police districts experiencing the highest levels of violence which led to a reduction in violent crime.
We brought unprecedented transparency to the State’s Attorney's office, and we’ve given people a fresh start through our historic expungement efforts after Illinois legalized cannabis.
Nationally, and here in Cook County, we are in the midst of a global pandemic that is hurting our most vulnerable communities AND in the midst of a civil rights movement in response to the killings of unarmed Black people.
I’m determined to respond to the calls for justice and root out systemic racism in our systems.
With your support on November 3rd, we can continue to reform our criminal justice system to make it an equitable system that keeps our families safe.
We can’t afford to go backwards on the progress we’ve made. Our work has just begun.
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
Since taking office as Cook County’s State’s Attorney in 2016, I have made measurable progress toward making our criminal justice system fair and safe for each person who calls Cook County home. Under my leadership, violent crime has decreased each year (until COVID-19, as crime has trended upward across the country); I created a Gun Crimes Strategy Unit to get guns off our streets, pushed policies to make sure people of color are not unfairly treated in our bail system, vacated nearly 100 wrongful convictions, and many more progressive reforms. But there’s more work to be done. Changing a criminal justice system that has disproportionately affected Black and Brown people takes time. We must continue to build on the work my office has accomplished to make the system fair for all people. In my next term as your State’s Attorney, I am committed to finding solutions to make Cook County safe, equitable and fair for every person by prioritizing violent crime, promoting transparency, and focusing on data-driven policies.
What is your vision for this office?
Above all, it is my job to ensure public safety and recent events with calls for racial justice makes it clear that we need to restore credibility in our criminal justice system. I was elected to enact criminal justice reform; and thus it is necessary to highlight the policies implemented by my office. My office shifted resources to prioritize violent crime, and as a result the conviction rate has increased. We implemented progressive bail reform policies for those charged with low-level misdemeanors, who do not pose a threat to public safety. We have vacated nearly 100 wrongful convictions, to right the wrongs of the past. After the legalization of recreational cannabis, we were instrumental in expunging thousands of records for individuals with low-level marijuana charges, removing the barrier for one’s ability to find employment, obtain housing, and access critical resources. We need to continue to strengthen our policies so that we are targeting disparities in our system and crafting effective measures that ensure public safety. For instance, it is unfair that people charged with violent offenses could pay their way out (with bond), yet people charged with non-violent offenses could not pay their way out and were held in jail. Part of breaking the pattern of violence is getting into our communities where violence is a “part of life” and interrupt these trends by offering alternatives to people who have historically lacked access to opportunities. Ultimately, it is my responsibility and commitment to ensure no matter someone’s race, how much money they make, or where they live within Cook County -- they are treated fairly and with dignity.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
My office’s top priority is making sure violent crimes are prosecuted and that we are curbing the rate of violence across Cook County. Serious acts of violence include cases of gun violence, homicide, sex crimes, aggravated battery, violence against police officers, robbery, domestic battery, and kidnapping. These cases represent the largest percentage of the cases prosecuted by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. The conviction rate on these cases has increased by 81% to 83% under the Foxx Administration. The State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to allocating our resources so our prosecutors can pursue violent felony crimes instead of low-level offenses, which can still go through our court system as misdemeanors. However, we are experiencing a year unlike any other and my office will continue to look for innovative solutions to disrupt a criminal justice system rooted in systemic racism that historically and disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income individuals.
