How It's Done In Chicago
Research work in Cook County can be a frustrating experience. But, with the experience one gains working the computer index in that county an expert it does make.
The Cook County criminal index is computerized and name specific. In other words, if you type in a name misspelled, such as leaving off the ìhî in ìSmith,î there is little hope of getting a correct result. You will get Smit. (More likely smitten!)
The index is arranged alphabetically. That's good. Felonies and misdemeanors appear on the index. That's good.
Complete docket information appears on the index. At least we pray it does! And DOB's for misdemeanors has been improved tremendouisly. ..What used to be sorely lacking in that department.is now highly efficient.
DOB's are present from all most cases 1996 -forward.
But older files and those without DOB's on the index still need to be ordered so it can be searched manually for any identifiers.
The ordering process has changed. District 1 Misdemeanor files (from 1996) are now kept in the same building, so what once took two days to be delivered from the warehouse is available on the spot.
But there problems that occur in the ordering/delivery process that can cause delay. There are ìlostî or ìmisplacedî files, files that are being ìput back into the system,î files that someone else (the someone else no one knows) has ordered and in that case it could be several weeks until they are put back in the system for re-ordering.
And so on and so forth.
I hope this helps you to understand the Cook County system (or lack of it). If you do, congratulations! You have accomplished something most of us pros haven't figured out yet!
Chicago Information
The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest unified court system in the world. The 2300 person staff of the Clerk of the Circuit Court serves the 5.1 million residents of Cook County within the City of Chicago and its 126 surrounding suburbs in handling the 2.4 million cases filed every year and the millions of pages of pleadings and other documents that pass through the system.
Research work in Cook County can be a frustrating experience. But, with the experience one gains working the computer index in that county an expert it does make.
The Cook County criminal index is computerized and name specific. In other words, if you type in a name misspelled, such as leaving off the ìhî in ìSmith,î there is little hope of getting a correct result. You will get Smit. (More likely smitten!)
The index is arranged alphabetically. That's good. Felonies and misdemeanors appear on the index. That's good.
Complete docket information appears on the index. At least we pray it does! And DOB's for misdemeanors has been improved tremendouisly. ..What used to be sorely lacking in that department.is now highly efficient.
DOB's are present from all most cases 1996 -forward.
But older files and those without DOB's on the index still need to be ordered so it can be searched manually for any identifiers.
The ordering process has changed. District 1 Misdemeanor files (from 1996) are now kept in the same building, so what once took two days to be delivered from the warehouse is available on the spot.
But there problems that occur in the ordering/delivery process that can cause delay. There are ìlostî or ìmisplacedî files, files that are being ìput back into the system,î files that someone else (the someone else no one knows) has ordered and in that case it could be several weeks until they are put back in the system for re-ordering.
And so on and so forth.
I hope this helps you to understand the Cook County system (or lack of it). If you do, congratulations! You have accomplished something most of us pros haven't figured out yet!
Chicago Information
The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest unified court system in the world. The 2300 person staff of the Clerk of the Circuit Court serves the 5.1 million residents of Cook County within the City of Chicago and its 126 surrounding suburbs in handling the 2.4 million cases filed every year and the millions of pages of pleadings and other documents that pass through the system.
