Buckner Cracks Down on Accumulated Cold Cases, Reforms for Transparency and Accountability

CHICAGO – A public safety measure championed by state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, will help track unsolved murders and cut back on incidents that get relegated to ‘cold case’ status without sufficient investigation.

“Our criminal justice system too often treats tragic murders—especially those involving Black and Brown people—as unsolvable cases not worth following after they run into the first signs of difficulty,” Buckner said. “This measure will bring transparency and accountability to how law enforcement approaches homicide investigations and ensure that more killers face justice for the pain they have caused.”

Buckner has made equity and justice in law enforcement a key policy area for him, and House Bill 1710 is more progress towards that goal. This measure requires the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) to compile information relating to homicides and shootings to help track the prevalence of cold cases throughout Illinois. Statistics like this can form the basis of vital reforms going forward.

It has the support of Illinois National Organization for Women, the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, Chicago Council of Lawyers and a wide range of gun safety groups. House Bill 1710 passed the House and Senate with unanimous bipartisan support and is awaiting the governor’s signature.

“As is so often the case, the foundation of an effective criminal justice system is truth and transparency,” Buckner said. “Continuing to allow Illinois ‘cold case’ rate to remain unexamined and in the dark will continue to let countless murder cases be neglected. To me and to many, that’s not acceptable.”