On March 21, Tom Dart hopes to garner enough votes to become the next Cook County Sheriff. Currently the chief of staff for Sheriff Michael Sheahan, Dart paints himself as a lifelong public servant who is an advocate for victims. Dart recently talked with Windy City Times about jailbreaks and gay-rights issues.
Windy City Times: You're currently chief of staff. What duties does that entail?
Tom Dart: It's a hodgepodge. I [ deal with ] policy and work with department heads on how we can do things better. I've been involved with specific and general things, including visitation issues.
WCT: I know you've been asked a thousand times about the Cook County jailbreaks. Why do you think they happened?
TD: I've told people that the problem I always have is that people act like life just started at six this morning. You have to have historical perspective. Historically speaking, before Mike Sheahan became sheriff they were averaging one escape every six weeks. While he was sheriff, there were no escapes for 10 years.
There were members of our office who could've and should've done a better job, and they've been moved, demoted and even indicted. However, the underlying issue is that we've been requesting cameras and more correctional officers and we've been denied every year. This year, we finally got a bump in the number of officers—but only because the federal court ordered it.
Other than the last one, that involved an inside job, cameras and understaffing have been the main reasons. We just need the tools to run the jail adequately. Big-city jails are incredibly difficult to run; there are 10,000 people and 9,000 beds. [ Also, ] we move 1,500 people and have over 1,000 visitors each day.
WCT: Yes, but does that spate of jailbreaks [ three over the past few months ] concern you?
TD: Well, it bothers us, period. The timing sequence, well ... the last one [ involving several inmates escaping ] got the most notoriety and had a lot of troubling undertones to it ... .
WCT: How do you respond to your opponents, who charge that you hid when you could've shown leadership skills the whole time?
TD: That's the most insane statement that I've ever heard. That's like saying that there is no sun; certain things are factually inaccurate.
These gentlemen—and I use that term loosely—were running around, trying to find any television camera that would give them two seconds of time. I was at the jail addressing the issues and was in Cicero trying to get children out of a difficult situation where they were being held hostage. I was at the forefront. Of course I couldn't show up at press conferences; I was working! If I showed up at the press conferences, they would accuse me of not working. I don't know if they have jobs; they can show up whenever.
WCT: Have you read Stonewalled, the Amnesty International report on police abuse of LGBT individuals in four cities, including Chicago?
TD: I don't think I've read that one.
WCT: Well, what do you think you can do to ensure the safety of LGBT prisoners?
TD: I think there are two things. Whenever someone indicates that they have concerns about safety because of their orientation, they'll have the option of being placed in protective custody or being moved to a different unit. Those are the best things I can think of.
WCT: What are your positions regarding same-sex marriage and civil unions?
TD: I have no problem with [either]. My record is so solid with the LGBT community. I've sponsored gay-rights bills [as a state representative]. The arguments against them never made sense to me. My record speaks for itself, which I'm excited about. I'm really proud that I stopped a bill that would've stopped LGBT people from adopting children; I just didn't allow it to be called.
WCT: In a nutshell, why are you the best man for the job? What gives you the edge over Sylvester Baker, who has 22 years of experience?
TD: I have no problems with my opponents on a personal level, but they have little niche experiences with the Cook County Sheriff's office. I enforced the law for five years as a prosecutor. I wrote the law for 11 years as a state legislator. I was chairman of both the Judiciary and Prisons committees. I also have been chief of staff for three years. My grasp of the office is head-and-[shoulders] above everyone else.
See www.DartForSheriff.com .