Will County Committee Advances Three New Assistant State’s Attorneys

Will County Board Executive Committee Meeting | June 11, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Board Executive Committee on Thursday, June 11, 2026, recommended increasing the authorized number of assistant state’s attorneys from 90 to 93, sending the measure to the full County Board over one dissenting vote amid a debate about rising felony caseloads.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Key Points:

• Resolution 26-4928 would raise the maximum number of assistant state’s attorneys from 90 to 93 under 55 ILCS 5/4-2003.
• Officials said the positions are already funded in the budget; state law separately requires the board to set the total number before they can be hired.
• Felony Division Chief Chris Koch said the office has roughly 4,400 open felony cases and about 50 open homicide cases, with felony assistants carrying 150 to 160 cases each.
• Member Daniel Butler cast the lone recorded no vote; Member Jacqueline Traynere also voiced opposition.

WILL COUNTY — The Will County Board Executive Committee on Thursday, June 11, 2026, recommended raising the number of authorized assistant state’s attorneys from 90 to 93, advancing Resolution 26-4928 to the full County Board after an extended debate over the prosecutor’s office workload.

Kevin Meyers of the State’s Attorney’s office told the committee the three positions are already funded within the county budget but cannot be filled until the board increases the statutory cap, which is set by the County Board under 55 ILCS 5/4-2003. The resolution itself notes that setting the maximum “does not guarantee funding.” Officials said the increase reflects a phased staffing plan tied to the 2021 pretrial-release law, the SAFE-T Act, which adds front-end work because prosecutors must file and prove detention petitions at a case’s outset.

Meyers said criminal caseloads have risen about 22% since 2022, with each assistant on the criminal side handling roughly 178 cases. Felony Division Chief Chris Koch, who said he has worked in the office for 23 years, told the committee that felony assistants now carry between 150 and 160 cases each, up from about 75 when he was a line assistant. The office has approximately 4,400 open felony cases and roughly 50 open homicide cases, plus additional uncharged homicides under investigation, he said. The office received about 125 new felony cases in the prior month and roughly 24 warrant requests in a single week, and it reviews between five and 10 detention petitions a day, according to Koch.

“Each one of those cases requires many, many hours of manpower,” Koch said, citing the review of body-camera footage, forensic evidence and social media in violent cases.

Member Vince Logan questioned the need given relatively low homicide numbers, and asked whether technology, additional support staff or remote work could ease the backlog rather than additional attorneys. Koch attributed much of the caseload growth to a pandemic-era court slowdown that built up an overflow of cases and to defense continuances that extend cases, saying the office is prepared to try cases within the 120-day speedy-trial window when defendants demand it. He and Meyers said the office is now seeing a stronger applicant pool than in years past, when the starting assistant salary was about $52,000.

Member Jacqueline Traynere said she would oppose the increase, questioning whether the office needed more help and noting she had not seen State’s Attorney James Glasgow appear before the committee. Member Daniel Butler also expressed reservations, raising concerns about adding recurring positions after the county balanced its budget using reserves rather than a tax levy increase. On the roll call, Butler cast the lone recorded no vote, and the committee advanced the measure to the full board.