Chief Judge Charles Beach had pledged to overhaul the county’s monitoring system following a high-profile arson attack on a Blue Line train last year, allegedly carried out by a man free on electronic monitoring.

In his first month as Cook County’s new chief judge, Charles Beach said he has worked to improve transparency, strengthen court operations and boost overall accountability.

Cook County has its first new chief judge in more than two decades after Charles Beach was sworn in to the position earlier this month.

Speaking at the City Club of Chicago on Tuesday to mark her first year as the county’s top prosecutor, O’Neill Burke said her office will be looking into possible improvements to the electronic monitoring system.

In the county’s electronic monitoring program administered by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office, defendants wear an ankle monitor equipped with GPS and cellular tower tracking technology. Some say the readings are not always accurate, leading to incorrect reports of violations. 

Reducing the Cook County jail population by putting more inmates on home monitoring...but who is the county letting out? Paris Schutz reports.