More SAFE-T Failure

In spite of the effort by Cook County judges to hammer convicts with sentences that haven't been seen in decades, they're still failing to keep violent criminals in check via cash bonds or custodial restrictions:

• The system had three chances to stop Alex Cusick. Each time, he was released. On the fourth arrest, prosecutors say, he escalated from stealing restaurant tip jars and hopping a CTA turnstile to violently trying to rob a woman in the Loop. Cusick, 28, was arrested three times in five weeks before the September 5 attack. The first two arrests involved misdemeanor theft and trespassing, and the third was for fare jumping at the Lake Red Line station. He was released after each one. It wasn’t until prosecutors charged him with attempted robbery and battery that a judge ordered him detained.

  The arrests began July 19 at a restaurant in the 100 block of North Wabash Avenue. Staff told police Cusick was a “habitual trespasser” who repeatedly entered the restaurant, bought nothing, caused disturbances and refused to leave, a Chicago police report said. That afternoon, he allegedly stole the tip jar. Police arrested him outside, charged him with misdemeanor theft and trespassing, and released him from the station about six hours later.

  On August 15, it happened again. Cusick was arrested in the 300 block of North Wabash Avenue after a restaurant reported that he had repeatedly refused to leave and had stolen its tip jar, according to a separate police report. He was again charged with misdemeanor theft and trespassing.

  Neither charge is detainable, but Judge James Murphy III held him in custody for violating pretrial release in the first case. Judge Peter Gonzalez released him again two days later, according to court records.

  On August 28, Cusick was arrested a third time, this time for fare jumping at the Lake Red Line station in the Loop, CPD records show. He was released at the scene.

  Then came September 5.

You can read the entire story at the link up top.

But as we've stated numerous times, without an incentive to walk the straight and narrow - or at least to stop running up and over the curbs of a civilized society -  then your low life feels there are zero consequences for their actions and continues to act as such. At the very least, a cash bond that might be forfeited or a few nights in jail discouraged asshole-ish behavior for a short while. Anyone claiming differently is a moron....or a democrat.