Cook County commissioners spent part of their budget hearings this week pressing Sheriff Tom Dart on why jail overtime keeps climbing, while also pushing back on State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s request for 70 new staff positions. The exchanges came as the county board works through next year’s spending plan, with jail staffing and prosecutor hiring emerging as two of the thornier line items on the table.
Commissioners questioned both the sheriff’s overtime costs and Burke’s staffing request during the hearings, according to ABC7 Chicago. Overtime spending at the Cook County Jail remained a key concern for commissioners throughout the session, the station reported, with Commissioner Jessica Vásquez telling Dart directly that his department is “the highest of criminal justice partners” when it comes to overtime.
Sick Calls Driving Up the Overtime Bill
Dart told commissioners that rising overtime costs are driven largely by employee absences, not staffing shortfalls on paper. The jail runs with about 1,400 correction officers across three shifts on an average day, he said, and on a typical day roughly 450 of them call in sick — close to a third of the workforce, per the same account relayed by ABC7.
The sheriff also said sick calls tend to rise following major sporting events and holidays, and that his office has tried home checks, door visits and jail incentives to get a handle on the pattern. An earlier League of Women Voters of Cook County account of the 2026 Sheriff budget hearings, dated November 4, 2025, put the number of daily absentees at more than 200 and noted that unplanned assistance the Sheriff’s Office provides to municipalities can also generate overtime, in its observer report.
Burke’s $7 Million Pitch: Add Staff, Cut Outside Costs
Across the hall, State’s Attorney Eileen Burke made her own case for growth. She told commissioners she is seeking 70 additional positions at a cost of $7 million, a request that drew scrutiny from Commissioner Scott Britton, who asked how the county would actually pay for it, the station’s report noted…