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Month: October 2014

A Vote for Pat Quinn is a Vote for Protecting our Children and Communities

Re-elect Governor Pat Quinn Governor Pat Quinn has a long and impressive record of support for common sense gun safety. He scored 100% on the G-PAC Candidate Questionnaire, and has signed historic lifesaving legislation into law, including requiring universal background checks and mandatory reporting of lost/stolen guns to prevent illegal trafficking. In addition, he has […]

A Vote For Deb Conroy is a Vote For Public Safety

Re-elect State Representative Deborah Conroy, 46th District Deb Conroy is a volunteer, mother, and community leader recently elected State Representative of the 46th District. As a mother of four boys, Conroy has been very active in her children’s schools. She worked hard to ensure accessible public education for all local students, forming the not-for-profit York […]

A Vote for Jenny Burke is a Vote for Public Safety

Elect Jenny Burke, Candidate for State Representative, 45th District Jenny Burke works hard at everything she does. She lives in Itasca with her husband, Patrick, and is a working moth of three wonderful kids, Sam (13), Julie (11) and Ben (8). She earned her Master’s degree and Law degree simultaneously from DePaul University – all the […]

A Vote for Michelle Mussman is a Vote for Public Safety

Re-elect State Representative Michelle Mussman, 56th District Just a few years ago, Michelle Mussman was a mom and PTA member who, like many residents of her community, was frustrated with state government’s debt and dysfunction. Having never run for or held public office before, Mussman didn’t set out to run a typical political campaign. Together […]

A Vote for Marty Moylan is a Vote for Public Safety

Re-elect State Representative Marty Moylan, 55th District Doing the right thing is nothing new for Marty Moylan. After his father passed away at a young age, Marty helped his mother raise his 12 younger siblings to help overcome the challenges of making ends meet. While learning the importance of hard work and responsibility, Marty also […]

G-PAC, Brady Campaign and Families Unite for Gun Safety

The Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) and the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence convened with dozens of gun violence victims and advocates yesterday to proudly endorse Pat Quinn for a second term as Governor of Illinois over his opponent, Bruce Rauner. The event was held in front of the LaSalle Blue […]

G-PAC and Brady Campaign Endorse Governor Quinn

Folks from the Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence and the Gun Violence Prevention PAC gathered to make the announcement with Quinn on the sidewalk near an entrance to the LaSalle Street Blue Line stop. It was on the LaSalle Blue Line platform last week that a man opened fire on a train with an assault rifle. No […]

350 Bullets; 30 Seconds

“In the time it takes to watch this ad, an assault weapon with a high capacity ammunition clip could have sprayed a room with 350 deadly bullets.” A new TV spot highlights the stark contrast between Bruce Rauner (R) and our endorsed candidate Gov. Pat Quinn (D) on gun issues. Bruce Rauner wants to legalize the sale […]

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Rick Ryan

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As the Lake County State’s Attorney, I am honored and humbled every day to lead the fight against crime, and to strive to ensure equal and just treatment under the law. I have been an attorney for twenty-two years – and each of those years has made me a stronger and smarter advocate for people, for ideas, and for the principles that unite us all.

I am so proud to lead an office of 140 dedicated colleagues who serve the public by prosecuting crime, advocating for victims, and planning crime prevention programs. I am also proud to work with hundreds of Lake County police officers on a daily basis to connect with every community and to develop comprehensive, holistic plans to respond to the mental health and economic crisis that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On one particular day, July 4, 2022, I was saddened, inspired, and motivated by the bravery of so many people. We will always stand with the victims and honor the police and other first responders who ran toward the danger. Just as so many heroes that day thought only of themselves, I also witnessed the prosecutors in my office answer the call to serve survivors and their community – even on one of its darkest days.

Every moment that I have been your legal representative, I have worked tirelessly to oversee prosecutions and to implement policies that make my family and my neighbors safer in the short term and in the long term. That is the job of the State’s Attorney: to prosecute, to innovate, and to strategically plan.

I was raised in a small town. My parents are teachers, and from them, I learned that everyone must be treated equally and that America’s sacred mission is to provide a political, economic, and legal system that allows anyone to prosper regardless of the circumstances of their birth. After graduating from Knox College and the University of Chicago Law School, I spent two years at a first-rate civil law firm in Chicago where I learned that hard work and attention to detail on every case mean the difference between success and failure.

With my wonderful wife Stephanie, I am raising my two sons, Sam and Teddy, in Lake County. Nothing is more important to me than my family’s safety and I bring that passion and determination to protect all families with me to work every day.

I joined the Lake County Public Defender’s Office in 2003 and started my own law firm in 2009. From 2003 until 2020, I watched the Lake County legal system fail to prioritize violent crime, prevent wrongful prosecutions, or address racial disparities.

So, in 2019, I decided to run for State’s Attorney so that I could serve our community by improving a local legal system that cared more about covering up its mistakes and biases than uncovering new and innovative ways to help people.

I won the 2020 election, and became the first Democrat to hold this position in 40 years. Bringing in a new party wasn’t as important as ending 40 years of one mindset that had forgotten the people and that had failed to act urgently to develop new strategic plans to prevent crime while also ensuring that each prosecution is smart, moral, and just.

We have followed through on our promises. We have built the first-ever violent crimes unit, increased prosecutors in our domestic violence division, and vastly upgraded our cyber lab. Now, we have top-notch software and personnel to finally keep up with those who would exploit others.

We have been awarded a large federal grant to bring the first ever Human Trafficking Task Force to Lake County. We have deepened our investment in people by bringing in more victim specialists and raising the salaries of many of our prosecutors.

But the work goes on. We must expand our prevention efforts that are starting with the Gun Violence Prevention Initiative launched in 2022. And we know that the opioid crisis touches thousands of lives throughout this country.

I am proud to serve on the Executive Board of the Lake County Opioid Initiative which has been working tirelessly since its founding in 2012 to reverse a devastating trend of increased overdoses. In 2022, our office was part of a national settlement against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

As an attorney of 22 years, I have committed my life to helping people, and I have conducted over 70 jury trials in Lake County, and handled appeals that have culminated in over 20 oral arguments before the appellate court and Supreme Court of Illinois.

I see my time in this office as the next phase of helping a community that I love and where I have chosen to raise my family. In my first term, we have made Lake County safer and fairer through just prosecutions, constitutional policing, and innovative crime prevention policies.