Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart Articles

A Cook County commissioner stands at a podium with a large county seal behind him. Two officials in the Cook County Sheriff's Office sit at the dais looking solemn.

Sheriff Tom Dart skips hearing on Cook County Jail deaths as families offer tearful testimony

The hearing was called in response to an Injustice Watch investigation into the 18 deaths at the jail last year. Dart, who’s overseen the jail for nearly two decades, sent several representatives in his place, leading one commissioner to ask, “Where is Sheriff Dart?”

by Carlos Ballesteros December 19, 2024December 19, 2024

A young woman in a black hoodie holds up a school photo of a good-looking young man in a dark green graduation gown.

Dying on Dart’s Watch

Cook County Jail’s deadliest year in decades reveals repeated lapses and failed oversight

Eighteen people died at the jail last year, and half of the deaths featured examples of inadequate supervision and medical care, an Injustice Watch investigation found. Sheriff Tom Dart blames detainees overdosing on drug-laced paper and says he’s addressed the problem, but experts say there’s a renewed need for oversight.

by Carlos Ballesteros June 12, 2024October 31, 2024

Get our weekly newsletter