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Month: June 2022

G-PAC Applauds AG Raoul and Illinois State Police’s New Gun Data Portal 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, June 29, 2022 G-PAC Applauds AG Raoul and Illinois State Police’s New Gun Data Portal  Chicago — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC released the following statement on Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly’s announcement of a new state-of-the-art online platform to assist law enforcement agencies in investigating gun crimes […]

G-PAC Primary Victories Include Upset in House District 16 with Kevin Olickal Defeating Incumbent State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, June 29, 2022 G-PAC Primary Victories Include Upset in House District 16 with Kevin Olickal Defeating Incumbent State Rep. Denyse Wang Stoneback G-PAC Secured More than Two Dozen Victories in Primary Election Chicago — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC Illinois (G-PAC), the state’s leading political force in ending gun violence, is proud […]

G-PAC Applauds Congress for Passing Gun Violence Prevention Legislation After 28 Years of Inaction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, June 24, 2022 G-PAC Applauds Congress for Passing Gun Violence Prevention Legislation After 28 Years of Inaction Gun Violence Prevention Advocates Call for Continued Federal Urgency Following SCOTUS Ruling Chicago — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) is applauding Congress for breaking their decades-long streak of inaction on gun legislation with the […]

G-PAC Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling that Permits Handguns in Public Spaces

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, June 23, 2022 G-PAC Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling that Permits Handguns in Public Spaces  Chicago — The Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) released the following statement in response to this morning’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that permits handguns in public spaces at the cost of public safety. “The Supreme […]

NYT: Bipartisan Gun Bill Clears Initial Vote in Senate

The 64-to-34 vote came just hours after Republicans and Democrats released the text of the legislation, which could become the most significant overhaul of the nation’s gun laws in decades. By Emily Cochrane and Annie Karni    |   Published June 21, 2022Updated June 22, 2022, 5:43 p.m. ET WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday cleared the first hurdle to […]

$14M awarded to 5 community groups to combat gun violence in Cook Co.

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — The first Cook County Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction grants haven been awarded, totaling $14 million. The program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and aims to aid communities in Cook Co. which are most impacted by gun violence. The five programs receiving this first round of grants are: […]

June 28th is Election Day in Illinois – Make a Plan and Vote

For everyone involved in the gun violence prevention movement, the last month has been one that has made an impact on each of us. Whether it was the violence we saw in Buffalo or Uvalde, or on our own streets here in Illinois, we know that we must take action to ensure that our communities […]

State’s Largest Gun Safety PAC Endorses Congressman Danny Davis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday, June 19, 2022 State’s Largest Gun Safety PAC Endorses Congressman Danny Davis Cites proven record of courageous leadership The Gun Violence Prevention Political Action Committee (G-PAC) announced today the endorsement of Congressman Danny Davis in the democratic primary for the 7th District. “Congressman Davis has been a reliable and fearless leader […]

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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.