Jodi Hoos

PEORIA – A new report examining crime statistics and trends in Peoria County shows a 28-percent reduction in shootings in 2024 compared to the previous year, but a marked increase in violent crimes committed by juveniles.

This is just some of the information the Peoria County State’s Attorney Office released in its 2024 Report, which highlights cases ranging from parents who starved and abused a child to six juveniles charged under the federal RICO Act for operating within a violent street gang to the sentencing of 14 murderers.

In all, 3,139 misdemeanor and felony charges were filed against defendants in Peoria County last year, an increase of 10 percent from 2023. Property crimes such as arson and burglary comprised more than half of the filings.

According to Peoria County State’s Attorney Jodi Hoos, the report shows progress in reducing overall crime in Peoria County while also serving as an indicator for how and where future crime-fighting resources might be directed.

Juvenile crime on increase

While the number of murders in Peoria County was down 33 percent in 2024 from 21 to 14, juvenile crimes involving a weapon increased by 12.3 percent, to 763 cases, over 2023.

However, progress in reducing car thefts by juveniles in Peoria County was achieved with the establishment of the Greater Peoria Auto Crimes Task Force, a partnership between the Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office, Peoria Police Department, Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Secretary of State Police and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. After GPACT was formed, juvenile auto theft arrests receded by 30 percent in Peoria County, with 181 arrests in 2024, compared with 2023.

“There are two things I’m really proud of with what we’ve tried to do,” Hoos told Chronicle Media. “One was the creation of the GPACT. We received almost $9 million from the state for a three-year grant for the sole focus of stolen motor vehicles.

“We’re solving these cases sooner and getting property back to victims (222 stolen motor vehicles worth more than $4 million were returned to owners in 2024, according to the report) and stopping crimes before they happen. The decrease on the juvenile side of that is a direct correlation of the Task Force.”

As a result of the overall increase in crimes committed by youth, Hoos and the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Peoria County will soon unveil a court program with a focus on both punishment and rehabilitation. Hoos sees the county’s Juvenile “Problem-Solving” Court, which will be fully up and running this spring, as a viable solution for certain youthful nonviolent offenders.
It will operate much like other 10th Judicial District “courts of accountability” such as Drug Court and DUI Court, in that those who plead into the program will be closely monitored, required to “check in” daily via a phone app and participate in court-ordered treatment and counseling sessions.

“Obviously we are not going to assign a violent offender to a problem-solving court, so this problem- solving court will not be for those who committed crimes with guns,” Hoos said. “We’ll be focusing on low-level crimes for the Juvenile Problem-Solving Court.”

The annual report shows there was a 70-percent increase in petitions to transfer juvenile offenders to adult court filed by Peoria County prosecutors last year than during 2023. Hoos said this sends a clear message to prospective youthful offenders and recidivists: Peoria County will send you to prison as an adult for your serious crimes, such as violations of the federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act.

RICO has been court-interpreted to include organized street gangs, and Hoos employed the tool as a prosecutor for the first time in 2024 in the sentencing of 10 members of the Snakes street gang. “RICO cases are usually on the federal side, but feds can’t prosecute a juvenile so it falls on the state. The majority of this group were juveniles, so we had to take it. It was such a big case that I wanted to send a message,” she said. “This was a case involving multiple kids and multiple murders and shootings, and we needed to step up our game to match theirs. And we did.”

Youth abuse cases rise

Credit for the other item Hoos pointed to with pride from the report goes to Peoria County for the hiring of a designated domestic violence investigator, a position she advocated for upon her appointment to replace Kevin Lyons in 2019.

The state’s attorney finds a direct correlation between the hiring and a 69-percent increase in conviction rates in 325 cases against domestic violence defendants, including five murder trials, during 2024.

“This hiring has allowed us to keep victims engaged with the court process and investigators so they can reach out to them for help in any way in life, and (the prosecution can) keep them pushing through the length of the case,” Hoos said.

The court’s Domestic Violence Division partners with the Family Justice Center to prosecute domestic violence cases. The division consists of two prosecutors, victim advocates and the domestic violence investigator. During 2024, 213 defendants enrolled in the court’s Partner Abuse Intervention Program, which works with domestic violent offenders to teach them coping skills and behavioral changes to prevent future abuse.

However, there were still 245 reported cases of juvenile neglect and abuse in Peoria County during 2024. This is an issue that Hoos is working to address.

“We’re going to have some really exciting news on that in the coming weeks,” she tipped. “Our

Children’s Advocacy Center is relocating to the old (county-owned) Heddington Oaks where the Young Minds Project is now located and Carle Health took over.

“This is about a three-year project I’ve been working on to find a nice, comfortable location for abused kids, the most vulnerable members of our society.”

A total of 324 victims were referred to the court’s Children’s Advocacy Center during 2024, according to the report.

Emotional investments

The 29-page 2024 Peoria County State’s Attorney Report (available to view or download at https://www.peoriacounty.gov/1216/States-Attorneys-Office) contains volumes of raw data and statistics pertaining to criminal activities and how they are addressed.

What it does not address is the emotional investments made during the criminal justice process by victims, families, prosecutors, support team members and others associated with the cases.

“My felony attorneys don’t get paid for their overtime and they are here nights and weekends preparing for trials, working on their own time away from their families and children so that they can bring justice to other families,” said Hoos. “They get very close to the victims’ families, especially in the case of the murder of one of their loved ones. This is a side the public does not see.

“There is, of course, the emotional side for the victims, too. As a former assistant state’s attorney, I still have victims from past cases come up to me to hug me to this day. Until you’ve been a juror or been inside this system, you don’t see the emotional side of the process.”