Reporter's Notebook: Chicago cop killed after suspect released under SAFE-T Act

We've been swamped with quality the past fewer weeks, and arsenic a result, I consciousness I was lone capable to scratch the aboveground connected a precise impactful communicative retired of Chicago. So, let maine to get into the details of a lawsuit that shows melodramatic flaws successful the system, and however Chicago citizens and constabulary are paying a unspeakable price.

It’s the lawsuit of Alphanso Talley, 26 years old. His transgression grounds goes backmost to erstwhile helium was a juvenile and the records are sealed. Now, helium is accused of sidesplitting Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew and gravely wounding another. Were it not for the Illinois SAFE-T Act, which created cashless bail successful 2021, Talley would not person been connected the street, critics of the instrumentality say.

Talley had truthful galore pending transgression cases, they overlap and get confusing. Talley was accused successful an equipped carjacking and robbery successful Chicago's Bronzeville vicinity successful April 2025. Despite the convulsive quality of the crime, Talley was released successful December 2025 connected physics monitoring pending trial.

Cook County Circuit Judge John Lyke Jr., who ordered his release, said during a December hearing: "There's nary uncertainty these bails would person been acceptable astatine monetary amounts that helium presumably couldn't afford."

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Police respond to the country of a shooting adjacent Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, Saturday, April 25, 2026, successful Chicago, and a booking representation of Alphanso Talley. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP and Cook County Sheriff's Office)

Skip guardant to March 8, 2026. Talley is accused of violating the curfew connected his ankle show and not conscionable a small bit. He stayed retired each night. In fact, due to the fact that helium did not instrumentality home, helium did not complaint his ankle show and the artillery went dead, prosecutors say. That generated an alert, which told the Cook County Chief Judge’s bureau that "the individual’s whereabouts are unknown." No 1 went and picked up Talley.

More than 48 hours later, pretrial services notified Judge Lyke that the ankle show went dormant and Talley missed a tribunal appearance. Lyke past signed an apprehension warrant. No 1 went and picked up Talley. 

Saturday morning, April 25, 2026, 1 infinitesimal aft the Family Dollar store opened, Talley and a antheral alleged arsenic his accomplice, 18-year-old Jeron Tate, followed cashier Maria Velazquez inside, prosecutors allege. Velazquez was robbed astatine gunpoint and beaten with the pistol truthful severely her chemoreceptor was broken. The bruises connected her look are punctuated by a knot connected her caput the size of a play shot and she can’t sleep.

"I aftermath up aboriginal successful the morning, I’m sleeping and I tin spot his face. I spot his look and I can’t sleep," she said successful Spanish to our Fox affiliate successful Chicago. For evident reasons, the azygous parent of 3 feared for her life. "If I would person died, what would hap to my children? They are inactive truthful young and they beryllium connected me." 

Now, Velazquez has learned that Talley was a predominant visitant of the transgression courts. "They kept letting him out, knowing helium had a transgression history. Why did they fto him free?" she asked. "This would person ne'er happened. The constabulary serviceman would not person died."

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John Bartholomew was changeable and killed connected Saturday, April 25, 2026, astatine Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital successful Chicago. (Chicago Police Department)

Talley was picked up a abbreviated clip aft the Family Dollar was robbed and Velazquez was beaten. No alien to arrest, Talley executed a instrumentality helium had utilized successful erstwhile arrests, constabulary say. The affidavit shows helium claimed helium had eaten 5 bags of drugs and needed to beryllium hospitalized due to the fact that helium was having occupation breathing. It’s unclear however helium was capable to smuggle a weapon into the hospital. But, it came retired successful tribunal that Talley was allowed immoderate privateness erstwhile it came clip to region his pants and enactment connected the infirmary gown.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pekara said that aft metallic handcuffs were removed truthful a CT scan could beryllium conducted, Talley reached nether a broad and fatally changeable Officer John Bartholomew successful the face. Bartholomew's spouse was changeable successful the chin, leaving him successful captious condition.

Pekara said Talley robbed a infirmary unit subordinate of his ID, changeable retired solid doors astatine the infirmary and acceptable disconnected moving practically bare with the infirmary gown astir his cervix and electrical monitors inactive stuck to his chest. 

Talley was recovered hiding nether a structure and arrested for the 2nd clip that day.

On May 1, a proceeding got underway astatine the Cook County transgression courts gathering to find if, this time, Talley should beryllium held successful jailhouse pre-trial. His household members filled astatine slightest 2 rows successful the courtroom and shouted to Talley that they loved him. Talley interacted with them truthful overmuch that a sheriff's lawman hovered implicit him and Cook County Circuit Judge D’Anthony Thedford admonished him to halt "giggling" portion opening the transgression proceedings for sidesplitting a constabulary officer.

Alphanso Talley allegedly killed Chicago Police Officer John Bartholomew connected Saturday. (Chicago Police Department and Cook County Sheriff's Office)

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When the proceeding was implicit and Talley ordered jailed, I was capable to inquire John Catanzara, caput of the Chicago constabulary union, if Bartholomew would beryllium live were it not for the SAFE-T Act.

"Yes, it’s conscionable a elemental reality," Catanzara answered. "I mean helium wouldn’t person qualified for parole. He would not person qualified for physics monitoring. He would person had a currency enslaved that helium would not person been capable to conscionable for those highly convulsive offenses. So, that alone, the cashless bail fto him retired and gave him the quality to beryllium retired connected the thoroughfare terrorizing."

"The physics monitoring strategy is broken," said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke. "Electronic monitoring is not an alternate to detention. It does not support radical safe."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who championed the SAFE-T Act, blamed Judge Lyke without naming him. "In astir cases wherever Republicans person complained astir the SAFE-T Act it’s really been a atrocious determination by an elected judge," said Pritzker. "A justice should person made the determination to support that idiosyncratic successful jail." 

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has called incarceration a "sickness," went backmost to a acquainted refrain against jailing criminals. "Look, we’ve had an addiction connected jails and incarceration. More radical get locked up successful our state than anyplace other successful the world. And yet, we person amerciable weapons that travel done our streets and we person a deficiency of intelligence wellness support," said Johnson.

"He’s a sickness and addiction that’s going to beryllium gone successful little than a year," Catanzara responded. "And it can’t travel soon enough. I didn’t deliberation it could get worse with [Former Chicago Mayor Lori] Lightfoot, but we got dumber and conscionable much racist and ignorant."

Police responded to a shooting astatine Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital successful Chicago connected April 25, 2026. (WFLD)

"We person a politician of the City of Chicago saying that helium doesn’t deliberation this idiosyncratic should beryllium incarcerated," Chicago Alderman James Gardiner said. "He's an embarrassment."

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This is not an isolated incident. Lawrence Reed is simply a beingness offender who was enactment connected an ankle monitor. He besides disregarded the curfew connected his monitor. Court records amusement helium had been retired each nighttime doubly earlier Nov. 17, 2025. That nighttime helium violated his curfew again, boarded Chicago’s Blue Line bid and acceptable Bethany MaGee connected fire, constabulary say. Reed faces some authorities and national charges.

Alderman Anthony Napolitano says astir 1,000 radical successful Chicago are presently enrolled successful Cook County’s troubled physics monitoring program. "Empty jailhouse cells are not a occurrence erstwhile we person officers being attacked and changeable constantly, and citizens being attacked constantly."