Chicago authorities lose track of 8% of suspects on ankle monitors, some charged with violent crimes

Of the thousands of people who are facing charges in Chicago's Cook County, which includes Chicago, and released into the electronic-monitoring program have gone missing, according to an analysis of program data. 

The Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County released a report this week that found of the 3,048 total participants in the program, 8% – 246 participants with active warrants – were deemed "absent without leave" (AWOL) as of May 8, 2026. 

The participants wear a tracking device on their ankles. Those considered AWOL are outside in an allowed area during curfew for more than a few hours or wearing a monitoring device that has either lost power or connectivity. 

This is the same program that Lawrence Reed was in when he allegedly set fire to a Chicago train in January, Fox News reported. A man accused of killing a Chicago police officer was among those considered AWOL in the program, CBS News reported. 

"Transparency is not optional – it is a core obligation of this office. The public has a right to know how this program operates, what the data shows and what we are doing every day to make it stronger. We are releasing this information because that is what accountability looks like," Chief Judge Charles Beach II of the Circuit Court of Cook County said in a statement.