Quinn signs RICO measure to combat gang violence

Springfield, IL – While municipalities across the state continue to fight street gang activities, law enforcement officials are continuously at a disadvantage because state law does not allow state’s attorneys to treat street gangs as one criminal enterprise, shielding top gang leaders from prosecution.  State’s attorneys will now have another tool to fight street gangs. 

Governor Pat Quinn signed a measure into law that will assist the State’s Attorney’s Office in prosecuting criminal gang activity. The measure is an initiative of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.   Alvarez said the law is similar to the federal RICO statute often used to bring down mob figures.

“By passing this legislation, we are giving the State’s Attorney’s Office the ability to go after people who are using others to carry out illegal activities,” said Senator Munoz, a member of the Senate Executive Committee.  “This measure closes a loophole in the law that currently does not allow for the prosecution of a person who dictates violence.

I want to thank the Governor for taking swift action on this bill.  This bill took almost two years to pass.  We’re finally aligned with 31 other states that already have this law.  We’ll also be able to go after drug trafficking, and the guns that plague our city.”

The Street Gang Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations law, or RICO, gives prosecutors a tool to target criminal enterprises and specifically target the organizers and gang leaders by proving that these individuals have engaged in a pattern of criminal activity, making gang leaders accountable for their actions instead of underlings.

According to police figures, 75-80 percent of the murders in Chicago can be attributed to the activities of some 69 gangs in 600 factions that periodically fall out with one another and resort to violence to settle their differences.

Greater Chicago has the largest gang population in the United States with approximately 100,000 members, according to the report.  A recent report says that the Latin Kings, Maniac Latin Disciples, Gangster Disciples, Sureño 13 and Vice Lords are the city’s most dangerous gangs.

From Jan. 1 through May 27 of this year, 203 murders and 852 street shootouts were reported.

“From my years on the force, I can tell you firsthand how common it is for gang leaders to shield themselves by seeking out younger recruits to carry out their illegal schemes.  The expectation is that these at-risk youth will avoid harsher penalties that are applicable to adults, especially those with criminal records,” said Alfonza Wysinger, a First Deputy Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.

The bill is House Bill 1907.