On Tuesday, DuPage County Chief Judge Kenneth Popejoy was all smiles as he proudly unveiled the $19 million worth of expansion and renovation work at the county’s judicial facilities in Wheaton.
Popejoy expressed his confidence in meeting the requirements of the upcoming SAFE-T Act, particularly the pretrial portion, which is set to begin next Monday. With great enthusiasm, he ceremoniously cut a symbolic blue ribbon to inaugurate a brand new courtroom.
“We are ushering in a new era of justice in DuPage County,” Popejoy said.
“We will hit the ground running,” county board Chairman Deb Conroy spoke and stated, “This is just another instance where DuPage County leads the way.”
The ongoing project involves expanding the judicial annex building by adding a third floor. This expansion is specifically intended to accommodate the relocation of the public defender’s office, which will now occupy this newly created space.
As a result of this move, the public defender staff will enjoy approximately 36% more workspace, allowing them to carry out their duties more efficiently. This additional area will include dedicated offices for misdemeanor attorneys as well as larger meeting spaces designed to facilitate client consultations.
With the implementation of the SAFE-T Act, both the public defender and state’s attorney offices are expanding their staff to meet the new requirements. This includes the need to adequately prepare for and conduct evidentiary hearings and meetings during defendants’ initial court appearances.
In addition to expanding the grand jury room, the project also included the construction of two new domestic relations courtrooms. Furthermore, ongoing renovation efforts are currently underway for the state’s attorney’s office, as well as the pretrial and probation services offices.
