Chicago revives the Violence Against Women Task Force for a second phase through 2029

The Chicago-Cook County Violence Against Women Task Force, which spent the first half of 2026 documenting how the court and justice system fails victims, is coming back for a second phase. On Oct. 14 the City Council adopted a resolution reinstating it from Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2029.

The resolution, SR2026-0028875, was sponsored by Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward) and Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), the chair of the Committee on Public Safety. It passed on a 49-to-0 roll call, with Ald. Monique Scott (24th Ward) not voting. Earlier in the same meeting, the Council adopted a mayoral resolution, R2026-0029410, recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month, and Tabares used it to describe the task force's work.

"Last year, this body passed a resolution to create the Chicago and Cook County Violence Against Women Task Force. The task force brought survivors, the city, and Cook County together for six months to document how the system fails victims. This task force is survivor-led, and they are driving the work."

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What did the first phase find?

The Council created the task force in 2025 on a Tabares resolution that passed 44 to 0 with five members absent. According to the new resolution's text, it ran from Jan. 1 to July 15, 2026, and its final independent report, titled 'Building a Unified Court and Justice System,' was presented in July. The report's recommendations include a collaborative public victimization dashboard, an Independent Oversight Committee for the court and justice system, and an interagency data center focused on how law enforcement responds to high-priority court orders.

Over the task force's first phase, the City's Violence Reduction Dashboard reported a 58% decrease in domestic homicides in Chicago. As of Sept. 18, 2026, shooting victimizations in domestic cases were up 12% and multi-victim shooting victimizations in domestic cases were up 75%.

What will phase two do?

The resolution says the City intends to establish the second phase jointly with the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and that it is constituted once the County adopts a concurrent resolution.

Phase two is an implementation body: it oversees carrying out the July report's recommendations, focused strictly on the roles of government agencies, and holds quarterly meetings of appointed officials, county stakeholders and department heads. Every City department involved in public safety, health, courts and justice is to be asked to report quarterly to the Committee on Public Safety on its progress, including the resources needed. The official report is to be updated annually and sent to the Council and the County Board.

Our notes on the Committee on Public Safety's Oct. 8 meeting say Tabares explained that the substitute version changed the language so the City does not mandate the County, making the task force more collaborative. The committee heard survivor testimony and a presentation of first-phase data, and members asked about court transparency, public records, orders of protection that go unserved, funding for the Police Department's victim services, domestic violence involving police officers, and judges in the Domestic Relations Division. Ald. Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th Ward) described women whose approved orders of protection were unenforceable when police arrived because the order had never been served. The committee adopted the substitute by voice vote.

What did alderpersons say on the floor?

When Hopkins brought the resolution to the Council on Oct. 14, Tabares thanked him and said phase one gathered survivors and groups for six months, and that "Now phase two is putting those recommendations to work." Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) focused on the courts.

"What I think needs to be repeated is what we learned from this hearing, which are the shortfalls within the criminal justice system, and in particular, the lack of empathy coming from the bench."

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, inset, speaks on the task force resolution, Oct. 14, 2026. City of Chicago video.')

Lopez said some of those judges are up for retention this year and urged colleagues to hear from survivors before voting. Ald. Jessica Fuentes (26th Ward) said she and Tabares do not always agree, but did on this.

"I look forward to the realization of the recommendations from the victims who have spent months reflecting, reiterating, rearticulating the trauma that they have had to go through so that our system can be better."

How did the vote go?

Hopkins moved the resolution by the first roll call of the Finance Committee report. The City Clerk's record shows 49 yes votes and Scott not voting. A motion to reconsider failed.

What it means on your block

• Nothing changes at the courthouse yet. Phase two starts Jan. 1, 2027, and only once Cook County adopts its own resolution. Its job is to push the July report's recommendations into practice and report on progress.
• The reports are public. City departments are asked to report every quarter to the Committee on Public Safety, which meets in public, and the task force's own report is to be updated annually.
• If you need help now, several alderpersons on Oct. 14 pointed to domestic violence organizations in their wards that their offices work with.