A task force examining domestic violence across Cook County has documented a dramatic 53% drop in domestic-related murders over the past six months and is now pushing for sweeping reforms to make the court system more transparent and accountable.
The Cook County Violence Against Women Task Force, which brought together leaders from city, county, state, and federal agencies, released findings last week showing that murders in domestic-related cases jumped 27% in 2025, with fatal shootings rising 56%. The task force’s work appears to have reversed that trend.
“We made it a priority,” said Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd), co-creator of the task force. “There’s a lot that is very interesting and that came out of this task force and it’s not over.”
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller (D-6th), who shares responsibility for the task force’s creation, said the rise in reported domestic shootings in 2025 reflected increased awareness and willingness to come forward.
“We think there was an increase because people were reporting it, maybe more often, finding out about services and resources available and coming forward,” she told WTTW News. “We had so many brave people come forward to tell their stories.”
The task force, designed and facilitated by Chicago77 Charities with support from the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Northwestern University, focused on three areas: transparency and data-sharing, accountability and oversight, and creating pathways to survivor-hood.
The Data Problem
At the heart of the task force’s recommendations is a fundamental problem: Cook County’s court system does not comply with the Freedom of Information Act, making it nearly impossible to track how cases move through the system or measure outcomes.
“The important thing here is we need data,” Tabares said. “One of the recommendations, because we’re not getting data, is we’re not getting numbers of orders of protection served, how they’re being served and warrants and so forth.”
According to the Pretrial Fairness Act Weekly Dashboard, from September 2023 to June 2026, domestic violence cases made up 58% of all “persons” charges and 28% of all violent charges in Cook County.
Yet, basic information about how these cases are handled remains fragmented across multiple agencies using separate data systems.
An average of 125 protective orders are filed daily in Cook County, but the service rate—whether orders actually reach the alleged abuser and become enforceable, has historically been as low as 25%.
Recent data from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office shows improvement to 55%, but gaps remain. Not all types of protective orders are entered into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, and missing or incorrect information can prevent orders from being entered at all.
Filing a protective order requires coordination among the Cook County Court System, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, the Circuit Court Clerk, and the Illinois State Police, with information entered into three separate data systems just to be ready the order for service.
Orders of Protection and the Domestic Relations Court
The task force identified a critical bottleneck in the Domestic Relations Court, which handles protective order petitions when victims also need child support or custody agreements.
Data shows that 85,956 petitions were filed as DRC cases from 2018 to 2025—an average of 10,744 per year, or about 29 protective orders filed daily. This suggests 25% to 30% of all protective orders filed in Cook County are processed through DRC rather than the specialized Domestic Violence Courts.
The courtroom lobby serving the court’s waiting room poses dangers. Survivor and task force participant Sarah Brown detailed how abusers often wait in the same courtroom hallways as their victims.
“You’re put in a hallway where there’s moving traffic,” she said at a task force press conference. “You may see your abuser. You may see a family member of theirs and it is a very lonely experience.”
The impact on victims has been severe. Cases linger for years, delivering psychological trauma and financial distress. Some victims have been ordered by judges to cohabitate with their abuser so both parties could afford attorneys. Others face the choice between returning to an abuser or becoming homeless.
Task Force Recommendations
The task force’s primary recommendations focus on systemic reform:
Transparency and Data-Sharing: Pursue legislation to bring the Cook County Court System into FOIA compliance and establish a City-Chicago Cook County Interagency Data Center.
Accountability and Oversight: Create an independent victimization public dashboard showing real-time case prioritization and establish a City-Cook CCVAW Charter with an Independent Oversight Committee.
Victim-Centered Reforms: Overhaul the Domestic Relations Court to better serve victims of violence and create a comprehensive victim-centered system (dashboard) across all points of contact.
“We need to pursue legislation to bring the Cook County Court system and its programs into FOIA compliance,” Tabares said. “They’re not subject to FOIA. And as a journalist, you know that’s important.”
She emphasized that without transparency, reform efforts fall short. “In the fall, we’re going to go into phase two, where we’re going to work with our partners in Springfield on legislation to bring the Cook County courts into FOIA compliance.”
What’s Next
The task force will resume in fall 2026 and provide quarterly updates to the Chicago City Council and Cook County Board of Commissioners.
The 53% drop in domestic murders in the first six months of the task force’s work demonstrates what focused attention can achieve. “There was a 140% increase in Illinois from 2022 to 2024,” Tabares said. “And now, as a result of the task force in the past six months, that’s dropped 53%. That’s real progress.”
For domestic violence assistance:
Order of Protection process, Maywood Domestic Violence Courthouse, Maywood: https://cookcountysheriffil.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Maywood-Courthouse-Order-of-Protection-Process.pdf
Domestic Violence Hotlines, multiple languages:
https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Safer-Communities/Supporting-Victims-of-Crime/Domestic-Violence-Prevention-Resources/
Cook County domestic violence resources:
https://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/domestic-violence-resources
Cook County State’s Attorney Victim’s Services:
https://www.cookcountystatesattorney.org/victim-services
Cook County Sheriff’s Domestic Violence Information:
https://cookcountysheriffil.gov/domestic-violence-information/