Prairie State Wire

Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Task Force met July 22.

Here are the minutes provided by the task force:

Task Force Member Attendance	WebEx	Absent
Verda Bhatti, Between Friends		X
State Representative Kambium Buckner	A, P
Margaret Duval, Ascend Justice	A, P
Jennifer Greene, Life Span	A, P
Representative Jackie Haas	A, P
Adebola Hassan, MCH Division Chief	A, P
Senator Mattie Hunter	A, P
Major Abigail Keller, Illinois State Police	A, P
Thomas Lemmer, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police	A, P
Senator Seth Lewis	A, P
Rebeca Perrone, Cook County Medical Examiner	A, P
Amanda Pyron, The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence		X
Mandy Sark, Chicago Missing Person’s Guild	A, P
Teresa Smith		X
Scheherazade Tillet, A Long Walk Home	A, P
Cristina Villarreal, Planned Parenthood of Illinois	A, P
Diane Walsh, Office of the Chief Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County		X
Carrie Ward, Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault	A, P
Legend: Y – Yes; P-Present; A-Aye Vote

Also present were:

Antoinette Ursitti, Chief Bureau of Detectives Chicago Police Department

Commander Jarrod Smith Chicago PD

Monique Petty, City Bureau

Molly Levinson

Angela McLemore, Senator Hunter’s Office

ICJIA Staff Present:

Kimberly Atkins, ICJIA, Strategic Project

Administrator, Editor

Jacob Derrick, ICJIA Director, Policy Government Affairs

Dawn English, ICJIA Associate General Counsel

Mary Ratliff, ICJIA, Strategic Project Director

Amanda Vasquez, ICJIA Research Manager

Minutes by: Kimberly Atkins ICJIA Strategic Project Administrator

I. CALL TO ORDER/ OPENING REMARKS

• Chairperson/ Senator Mattie Hunter called the meeting to order

12:35 P.M.

II. ROLL CALL

• Kimberly Atkins, ICJIA took roll and announced quorum was reached.

III. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM

• May 29, 2024

• Dawn English, ICJIA Associate General Counsel conducted vote the minutes were passed.

Motion: Made by Carrie Ward to approve the minutes

Motion Second: Jennifer Greene

Roll Call: All Aye no Nay or abstentions

Minutes were carried for May 29, 2024

IV. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA

• No additions to the agenda currently.

V. NEW BUSINESS

• Chairperson Senator Mattie Hunter calls the meeting to order and introduces Representative Buckner to take the floor to address new business and update since last meeting. The last taskforce meeting was held on May 29, 2024. The June meeting was canceled after Senator Hunter, Representative Buckner office met with ICJIA on June 6, 2024. In this meeting, we discussed the legislative requirements of reporting by this task force. The legislation states: The Task Force shall report on or before December 31 of 2024, and on or before December 31 of each year thereafter, to the General Assembly and the Governor on the work of the Task Force.

• Representative Buckner provides directive that ICJIA has prepared some information about the report writing process that they would like to share with the taskforce group. Representative Buckner hands the floor to ICJIA Mary Ratliff to present the information.

• Mary Ratliff (ICJIA) discusses the writing committee plan. Ms. Ratliff presents a Jamboard activity for members to participate regarding the task force topic areas in which the report should cover. Ms. Ratliff makes mention of the statute that everyone has been provided sent out by Kimberly in earlier communications. We may refer to our Monday, March 25, 2024, meeting we reviewed, at high level, what we are chartered to look at through this task force and develop recommendations that will go into our December 2024 report. The Jamboard presented the five topic areas the taskforce must examine and report

(1) The systemic causes behind violence that Chicago women and girls experience, including patterns and underlying factors that explain why disproportionately high levels of violence occur against Chicago women and girls, including underlying historical, social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors that may contribute to the violence Member Topic Responses:

o Increase investment for services and programing for girls as a preventative measure as well as gain statewide funds for human trafficking programing

o Link Between dating domestic violence and murdered black women.

o Underreporting of Latinx

o Increased partnership between law enforcement and programs serving those at risk for going missing. Programs like domestic violence, human trafficking service programs.

o CPD counterterrorism is very important in this scope because one out of every five endangered or missing persons were likely sex trafficked.

o Wisconsin and Montana meetings identified causes as human trafficking, extreme poverty, substance use, child abuse, and family violence.

o Minnesota presentations addressed conduct of death investigation review for cases ruled as suicide or overdose under suspicious circumstances.

o Minnesota presentation- analyze ad assess intersection between cases of missing and murdered black women and labor trafficking, sex trafficking domestic violence. More information is needed.

o Minnesota presentation – conduct case reviews and report on the results of cold cases involving missing and murdered black women

o Recommendations presented: Assess what opportunities are there for existing community organizations to support this issue?

o CPD additional personnel and training for missing person cases o Additional research on the current state of the problem data from recent years for numbers of missing persons.

o Additional research on the causes of violence experienced by women and girls. There is the need to look at case specific data and victimology.

o Why are women going missing and what other agencies could help the taskforce to uncover.

o Are there opportunities for shelter or temporary housing for women at risk of dying from partner violence?

o More research needed into the scope of the problem. How many women and girls and ages.

o What methods are available on raising awareness regarding missing and murdered women and girls? How to ensure if people care?

o Continued research on African American on the intersectionality on race, gender, age and missing murdered from the invisible institute.

(2) appropriate methods for tracking and collecting data on violence against Chicago women and girls, including data on missing and murdered Chicago women and girls;

Member Topic Responses:

o ISP voluntariness could be a cause of missingness and has implications for data national domestic violence hotline cook county human trafficking taskforce

o DCFS data on human trafficking youth on run

o Invisible institute looked at interviews, police data, medical records, gender and data. Police data model could be increased to lessen the complications for poor data collection

o Define long term missing person and amend the missing persons act to clarify LEEDS and NamUs reporting requirements.

o Mandate law enforcement agencies to establish written protocols for missing persons. Policies need to include a mechanism for case review and follow-up.

o Invisible Institute: when a missing person’s case closes is there tracking of crimes connected to the cases.

(3) policies and institutions such as policing, child welfare, medical examiner practices, and other governmental practices that impact violence against Chicago women and girls and the investigation and prosecution of crimes of gender-related violence against Chicago residents; Member Topic Responses:

o Improved collaboration between law enforcement and direct service providers who can often see victims that do not interact with the police.

o CPD- Missing persons unit dedicated to missing person cases? Five of the areas within the 22 districts patrol and available citizens

o Review prosecution, sentencing of perpetrator for crimes against black women and girls. Are there cases of repeat offenders?

o Invisible institute: revealed disordinate impact on women and girls in how cases are treated and delays.

o Invisible institute: revealed treatment toward families and officers recommended a delay for officers to contact 911. was poor and there was a delay and a delay in solving cases.

(4) measures necessary to address and reduce violence against Chicago women and girls; and

Member Topic Responses:

o Support for recommending specialized community-based programs like Minnesota.

o Address the link between community violence and violence against women and girls.

o Minnesota – develop effective culturally appropriate anti racist trainings and professional education for system professionals.

o Minnesota- hire more African American staff and create incentives for current black and POC staff to stay and grow in the profession.

o Minnesota – lived experience should inform measures for addressing violence and helping individuals and communities heal.

o Minnesota- develop office for missing and murdered black women and girls located in community

(5) measures to help victims, victims’ families, and victims’ communities prevent and heal from violence that occurs against Chicago women and girls.

Member Topic Responses:

o Improved assistance to families that are missing loved ones and engage FBI

o Minnesota – coordination across agencies to increase accessibility or services and responsiveness.

o Identify and implement better pathways to emergency and long-term housing.

o Lived experience engagement to inform measures for helping communities heal.

• Mary Ratliff presents the proposed timelines for task force meetings and the report. Over the next few months, we will review findings gathered from presenters who have spoken to the group.

• Senator Hunter: Senator Hunter asked if others had information and we could move to public comment. The members may want to look at next year screening tools for public awareness. We may consider inviting the human traffic hotline to give a better idea.

• Tillet: existing resources for training and awareness. Her agency would consider presenting to the taskforce in the future

Mandy Sark: Is there a screening process that the police may have for trafficking

VI. PUBLIC COMMENT

The floor was opened by Senator Hunter for public comment.

• Angela McLemore, Senator Hunter Office – Promote greater education to the public about missing and trafficked girls and women to identify signs of those who are missing due to trafficking. Identifying signs if trouble for those who are moving around the public. General education to the lookout for signs.

VII. ADJOURNMENT

• Next Meeting is Monday, September 23, 2024, 12:30 -2:00pm

Location: Virtual, Webex Only. The August meeting has been canceled due to the Democratic Convention taking place the same week.

Motion: To adjourn the meeting.

Motion By: Senator Seth Lewis

Seconded By: Carrie Ward

Vote Taken by Dawn English: There were no oppositions, no abstentions, motion carried to adjourn the meeting

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