JOIN US

Category: Uncategorized

Don’t Stop the Calls

At the close of the weekend, Illinois racked up 4245 shootings, including 5 people in a single location in Fernwood where 4 have died. It’s time to connect the dots. Since Illinois has allowed conceal and carry of loaded guns in public, shooting deaths have increased 84% and the number of annual shootings has increased […]

Our Priority Is Saving Lives

Senate bill 206 would allow conceal and carry permit holders to carry a silencer for their guns. This NRA priority bill passed out of committee last week and was headed to the senate floor. Thirty six votes are needed to pass a bill during veto session. The gun lobby did not have the 36 votes […]

National Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence

Join Us and #EndGunViolence Thursday, December 15, 2016,6:30-8:30 PM Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago In the four years since the Newtown School shooting, more than 120,000 Americans nationwide have died from gunshot wounds–including over 2,000 in Chicago alone. As Americans we are all affected by gun violence. That is why we must keep […]

Vote For Life on Nov. 8, 2016

We know that thousands of guns used in crimes in Chicago come from gun dealers in Cook County. In 3 days, we can elect lawmakers who will vote to end that pipeline from dealer to criminal. If we don’t elect a gun safety majority on Tuesday, we will have to wait two more years to […]

This Is Important To Me

This is not the first time you’ve heard this: elections matter. I founded the Gun Violence Prevention PAC because it became clear to me after years of fighting for responsible gun laws, the only path to victory was a gunsense majority. Let’s start at the top. The gun lobby has spent unprecedented millions on a […]

Miserable milestone: Chicago surpasses 600 homicides this year

Vernadette Taylor moved to West Englewood’s 6700 block of South Winchester more than 30 years ago with her husband, son and daughter. In the last year and a half, three shootings on her block have left one man dead and 10 others hurt. … The 28-year-old man killed on her block Monday night helped push […]

It Was Only a Matter of Time Before the Next Mass Shooting

On Friday at 8:20pm, 7 people were gunned down in a mass shooting in Chicago. Did you even hear about it on the local news? Before the weekend ended, there would be 10 people dead and 42 shot. It’s been a devastating, deadly year for so many families. If we continue to stand by and […]

Terrorists and Guns

Today our spotlight is on three gun safety candidates who need our help, Rep Deb Conroy, Merry Marwig and Rep. Michelle Mussman. These 3 candidates are facing opponents supported by the gun lobby. Their opponents do not support lifesaving legislation that would: prevent suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns; or stop the […]

Facebook-f Instagram Twitter
1235 N Clybourn Ave Ste A246
Chicago, IL 60610 – 2435
Contact us: [email protected]
847-920-4722
© 2023. All rights reserved. Privacy & Terms

Rick Ryan

Facebook-f Twitter Globe
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.