Staff Reports
Chicago and Cook County officials just released a report that should make residents sit up and take notice. The Circuit Court’s electronic-monitoring program shows that 8% of people wearing ankle monitors were “absent without leave” — 246 out of 3,048 participants were missing from supervision as of May 8, 2026. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a public safety problem.
The numbers tell a worrying story
The report from the Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County makes the basics clear: people wear GPS ankle monitors, and when those monitors stop reporting — either because the device dies, loses signal, or the wearer is gone during curfew — the court flags them as AWOL. That definition makes sense on paper. In practice, 246 people slipping off the grid is more than a data point. It is a dangerous gap in enforcement.
Worse, some of the people listed as AWOL have been accused of violent acts. The case list includes high-profile incidents tied to people who were supposedly being tracked by these devices. So the system isn’t just losing track of people who pose little risk. It’s losing track of people the public might reasonably fear.
Why trust in monitoring is breaking down
There are two basic ways this program fails: technology and policy. On the tech side, battery life, connectivity, and device tampering are familiar Achilles’ heels for ankle monitors. You can buy the gizmo, but if it goes dark for hours, the whole house of cards falls. On the policy side, Cook County continues to release thousands on monitoring while some of those charged with serious crimes remain out on the street. Trusting an ankle bracelet and a prayer isn’t a plan.
And let’s not pretend this is only a “technology” problem. Our legal system made a choice to rely heavily on electronic monitoring instead of securing people in custody when the risk is high. When the program lets dozens vanish from supervision, that decision needs answering — from judges, prosecutors and county leaders alike.
What needs to change
First, be honest about who belongs on an ankle monitor and who belongs behind bars. Violent suspects and those with clear danger indicators should not be first in line for electronic release. Second, the tech must be real-time and reliable — longer battery life, tamper sensors that trigger immediate law enforcement response, and mandatory daily checks. Third, there must be swift consequences for AWOL participants: immediate warrants served, better tracking protocols, and public reporting that shows progress, not just numbers in a PDF.
Chief Judge Charles Beach II said transparency is a core obligation. He’s right to publish the data. But transparency without action is theater. Cook County now has proof the system is leaking. The next step is fixing the holes — not more press releases. Residents deserve a court system that protects them first, experiments with public safety second.
