Sheriff’s Campaign Contributions – Zinke Reports Contributions from Jail Medical Services Provider

Considering that former McHenry County Sheriff’s candidate Andy Zinke was conducting a discovery recount after the close Republican Primary Election during the second quarter of 2014, let’s look at his campaign committee’s financial records, too. (Winner Bill Prim’s were written … Continue reading

Five of Six Chicagoland Jails Allow Gideons to Distribute Bibles Cell to Cell

Learned at the County Fair that McHenry County is the only one in the six county area prohibiting the distribution of Bibles on a cell to cell basis. When he heard that, McHenry County Board member John Hammerand said, “That’s … Continue reading

Opaqueness of the Sheriff’s Department

“Opaque” is the opposition of “transparent,” right? Every month the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department makes a report to the County Board. I looked at the April report. Right on top is a summary of activity for the Corrections Division. Take … Continue reading

How to Get More Ethical McHenry County Employees

There was an column by Rex Huppke in the Chicago Tribune Monday that might suggest a use for the empty cells in the McHenry County Jail. And there are more empty cells than was reported by the Administration in the … Continue reading

Prying the Jail Cost Numbers from the Locked Down Sheriff’s Department

Municipal bond analyst Steve Wilson left the following message under the first part of my report of the McHenry County Board debate about the $10 increase for housing Federal prisoners: How much are we losing each day per prisoner? I … Continue reading

County Cuts Losses of Housing Federal Prisoners $10 a Day – Part 2

John Hammerand, the County Board member who first pointed out (twelve months ago) that the county was losing big bucks by housing Federal prisoners, spoke next: “You cannot manage what we don’t measure. “I’m thinking of [the need to] swear … Continue reading

County Cuts Losses of Housing Federal Prisoners $10 a Day – Part 1

The debate on Tuesday about housing Federal prisoners in the McHenry County Jail started with Law & Justice Committee Chairman Sue Draffkorn trying to set the terms of debate. With regard to the ten-year agreement with the Feds, Draffkorn pointed … Continue reading

Due Diligence Not Evident on Sheriff’s Jail Rental Contract

My master’s degree from the University of Michigan is in Public Administration. I was thinking of what my professors would have said if I had presented what the County Board is being given to justify an increase of $10 a … Continue reading

County Board to Vote on ICE Jail Contract with No Taxpayer Input; Any Cost-Benefit Study Hidden

Because a vote on a new three-year jail contract with the Federal government will be voted upon by the County Board on Tuesday I am keeping this article on top until the meeting. = = = = = On Tuesday, … Continue reading

U.S. Marshal Agrees to Up Jail Reimbursement Rate to $95 per Day

Now the Federal government is paying McHenry County $85 per day to house prisoners, so the $95 a day rate represents a $10 per day increase. The $95 per day is still well below the $131.38 cost to house a … Continue reading

The Jail Report that the Sheriff’s Department Doesn’t Want the Public to Read

Prior to the election, I filed a Freedom of Information request for the report that Joseph Summerill prepared for the Sheriff’s Office and presented to the County Board. In the comment sections of some of the following articles, many people … Continue reading

Zinke Quoted in Chicago Sun-Times about Charging Only $16 Daily for Cook County Prisoner

None other than McHenry County Undersheriff Andy Zinke is quoted in a Chicago Sun-Times story about Mayor Daley nephew R.J. Vanecko’s paying only $16 a day for the privilege of serving his sentence in McHenry County Jail, instead of Cook … Continue reading

Prim Attacks Zinke

A press release from Bill Prim, one of two candidates for the Republican nomination for McHenry County Sheriff: PRIM: ZINKE STRATEGY IS DENY, DECEIVE AND DELAY Two recent developments in the primary race for McHenry County Sheriff provide even further evidence … Continue reading

Prim Lists Zinke Vulnerabilities, Zinke Tosses Jail Deficit ICE Ball to County Board

In an almost full McHenry County Conference Center, Sheriff hopefuls Andy Zinke and Bill Prim faced off Tuesday night at a League of Women Voters forum. Drawing the first opening statement, in a calm cadence, former Des Plaines Police Commander … Continue reading

Multi-Million Dollar Annual Subsidizing of Fed’s Housing of Illegal Aliens & Others at the McHenry County Jail – Part 2

Yesterday, based on McHenry County Sheriff’s Department figures organized by $60,000 consultant Joseph Summerill, McHenry County Blog pointed out that over a five-year period, Sheriff Keith Nygren’s program to house illegal aliens and prisoners in the McHenry County Jail cost … Continue reading

Multi-Million Dollar Annual Subsidy for Federal Government’s Housing of Illegal Aliens & Others at the McHenry County Jail – Part 1

One of the signature accomplishments claimed by outgoing McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren is the build-out of the unfinished top floor of the jail with the help of $6.5 million in Federal funds. Now, figures from the Sheriff’s Department show … Continue reading

Does New Federal Budget Put Sheriff’s ICE Floor Funding in Jeopardy?

Gannett Newspapers has an article today that makes me wonder if continued funding from the Federal government to McHenry County to house illegal aliens will be forthcoming at the past levels. The new budget cuts “about 25 percent — from … Continue reading