Page 8 - Matt Walberg News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Over the past 11 months of the pandemic, Cook County directed more than 40% of its federal relief money toward labor costs for the sheriff’s office, drawing alarm from Black activists who have renewed calls to reallocate law enforcement spending since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The county was granted more than $428.5 million in April under the federal coronavirus relief bill. About $181.7 million was expensed by the Cook County sheriff’s office for direct “labor costs” such as payroll and benefits, according to a Jan. 31 report posted on the county website. The budget for the sheriff’s office, which runs Cook County Jail, the electronic monitoring of detainees and a small police force, has long been a target for local activists who say taxpayer dollars for a criminal justice system that disproportionately incarcerates Black people should instead be invested in housing, health care, transportation and other initiatives. Those calls, along with s

Cook countyUnited statesAmika tendajiToni preckwinkleGoodkids madcityLori lightfootAmmar rizkiMatt walbergGeorge floydAnnette guzmanDepartment of correctionsCook county healthCook county jailCook county board president toni preckwinkleBlack lives matterDirector annette guzman