Local
Mobley killing prompts Cook County call to close gaps in ankle-monitor oversight
State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke says electronic monitoring needs stronger enforcement after CTA janitor Julian Mobley was fatally stabbed. Prosecutors say the accused had repeatedly violated curfew while wearing a monitor and had been unaccounted for.
CHICAGO — Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is calling for changes to the county’s electronic monitoring system after the fatal stabbing of CTA janitor Julian Mobley raised questions about how violations are tracked and enforced.
Mobley was killed earlier this month. Prosecutors say Chevazz Campbell, who is charged in the case, was wearing an ankle monitor while awaiting trial on a theft case. Court records show Campbell had seven prior felony convictions, and prosecutors had filed multiple requests alleging he violated monitoring conditions, including curfew violations and periods when his whereabouts were unknown.
Burke and the CTA workers’ union said in a joint statement Monday that the system lacks effective monitoring and proactive enforcement when a person cannot be located. They called for a lasting legislative fix to improve accountability and protect workers and the public.
Burke discussed electronic-monitoring reforms Wednesday at the Union League Club of Chicago, during a broader conversation about challenges facing the criminal justice system. She has raised concerns about defendants charged with serious violent crimes being released on electronic monitoring and says safeguards should be strengthened while preserving the principles of Illinois’ Pretrial Fairness Act.
The case has intensified scrutiny of how officials respond when monitored defendants allegedly break curfew or go missing. Burke has called for reforms, but the specific legislative changes she is seeking were not detailed in the available account.