18th District Court Advocates Needed
You can make a difference! Get involved and stand behind our community.
What does a Court Advocate do?
Court advocates appear in court on behalf of the community and victims. The presence of Court Advocacy volunteers sends a strong message to the defendants and the courts that we will not tolerate crime in our community. Meetings are held periodically at the 18th District Police Station.
How does the program work?
This program consist of individuals who want to support their community by following cases/arrests made within their districts. The group meets via Zoom (until further notice), the first Tuesday of every other month to discuss cases (both New and Old cases). For the cases discussed, CPD provides the group with information regarding each case, where it happened, what happened, and when/where the court case will be held for the offender in custody. The Court Advocates can pick and choose whichever case interest them and which cases they want to show their presence for. By attending these cases, the Advocates are showing their support for the victims and the community in which it occurred. That presence makes a statement that they are standing up for their community and that they don’t want this activity in their neighborhood. We hope that when the judge sees this type of support from citizens that they will take the cases and sentencing methods more serious.
How do I join?
Officer Theresa Kelly leads the program . If you are interested in joining, all that is required is filling out an application. Upon receiving this application, Officer Kelly will perform a name check to make sure you don’t have any warrants which will make you ineligible to join the program. After the name check is performed, she will send you an email notifying you of your acceptance or non-acceptance into the group. CPD will provide a 1 hour training class, which will prepare you for what to expect when you attend court cases. With this program, you will be provided with an ID Badge which shows that you are a Court Advocate and will allow you access to enter court locations when open through the same entrances police and attorneys.
CLICK HERE to download the application.
Please fill out the application and send it to Officer Theresa Kelly: theresa.kelly@chicagopolice.org
If you have any questions and/or concerns, you can contact Officer Kelly at (312) 742-5778 or contact the 18th District at CAPS018District@chicagopolice.org
