Will County State’s Attorney elected to lead Illinois State’s Attorneys Association

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow was sworn in Friday to serve a one-year term as the president of the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association.

Glasgow was unanimously elected to the position by other state’s attorneys, according to a news release from his office. He said in a statement that he was honored to have been chosen for the position.

“As prosecutors, our job is to represent all people in the State of Illinois,” Glasgow said. “We will continue working to ensure our criminal justice system functions effectively, whether through the prosecution of dangerous criminals or diversionary programs that help give at-risk individuals a second chance.”

Glasgow’s news release said the Illinois State’s Attorneys Association is a bipartisan organization comprised of all state’s attorneys in Illinois, and the association promotes “the orderly administration of justice and the enforcement of the law.”

Glasgow was elected in November to serve his seventh term as the Will County state’s attorney. He ran unopposed in the race and earned 265,676 votes, according to the Will County Clerk’s website.

Glasgow cited his prosecution of Drew Peterson and Christopher Vaughn as among his most noteworthy cases. Peterson was convicted of murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio, and Vaughn was convicted of murdering his wife and three children.

“In addition to prosecuting criminals, I have made it a mission of my office to zealously reach out to and protect the most vulnerable members of our community,” Glasgow said.

Glasgow said his numerous pioneering initiatives include spearheading Will County’s four Problem Solving Courts; creating the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center; and drafting legislation to create a felony charge against animal abusers and strengthen penalties for abusers who torture their victims.

Glasgow’s office has also investigated police shootings and deaths in police custody. Last year, Glasgow’s office determined the death of Eric Lurry was caused by ingestion of fatal amounts of drugs and “did not result directly from any action or inaction by an officer of the Joliet Police Department.”

Lurry’s death sparked protests last summer in Joliet and a federal lawsuit from his wife Nicole Lurry, who is running for a seat on the Joliet City Council.