Eviction bill deserves to be kicked to the curb

Rep. Monique Davis has fought since 2009 to forestall being evicted from a Chicago Board of Education building she has used rent free as her legislative office for the past 11 years.

But when the shoe is on the other foot, the Chicago Democrat takes a dim view of tenants who she says “game the system” to thwart landlords—such as her—in eviction court.

At Davis’ urging, an Illinois House committee on Wednesday approved a measure she sponsored to make it easier for Cook County landlords to evict problem tenants.

The bill would impose a 45-day limit for the Cook County sheriff to carry out any eviction after a final order from a judge.

If the sheriff fails to complete the eviction in that time period, the landlord would be free to turn the job over to any legally-recognized “peace officer.”

Davis envisions city and suburban police departments conducting the evictions, which I doubt they’d like, or in the alternative, landlords hiring off-duty officers to handle the task.

It’s a really bad idea, as tenant advocates and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office tried to explain to legislators—to no avail.

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