Supreme Court announces creation of new Committee on Judicial Security and Safety

The Supreme Court's press release today is reprinted here in full:

The Illinois Supreme Court announced today the creation of the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Security and Safety (the Committee).

The Order announcing the creation of the Committee is available on the Court website by clicking here.

“The Supreme Court is committed to ensuring the safety of our judges and justices,” Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said. “Threats to the judiciary continue to increase and the Committee will help us address them.”

The Committee is tasked with providing the Court with developments and recommendations related to the judicial threat environment and protective operations, intelligence, and information.

The committee will also coordinate with the Court’s judicial and law enforcement partners to monitor and review current and anticipated future judicial security needs and make appropriate recommendations to the Court.

The Chair of the Committee will be Jim Cimarossa, the Marshal of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Appointed as members of the Committee are First District Appellate Court Justice Mathias W. Delort, Second District Appellate Court Justice George Bridges, Twelfth Circuit Court Judge Susan T. O’Leary, Cook County Circuit Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Twenty-Second Circuit Court Michael J. Chmiel, and the Hon. Mark A. VandeWiele (ret.).

Additional appointed members will include the Executive Director of the Attorney Registration and Discipline Commission (ARDC), a representative of the Illinois State Police, a representative of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, and a representative of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.