COOK COUNTY | Officials hope to hire national expert to fix troubled facility

BY STEVE PATTERSON AND ANNIE SWEENEY

Cook County officials are negotiating to bring in a well-respected outsider to take control of hiring, firing and budgets at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, which has been plagued by allegations of child abuse, unsanitary conditions and patronage.

County officials are set to recommend Earl Dunlap, head of the National Juvenile Detention Association, as its new leader -- a sign one source said means "there is some recognition [the county has] to turn this over."

"They can't fix this," the source said. "They have come to realize this."

In a court hearing that was scheduled for today, a litany of horror stories were to emerge about what goes on inside the facility. It was part of an effort to ask a judge to rip the facility from the county's hands and put it in receivership.

But officials say that's being postponed in light of the county's apparent willingness to cede most control.

"We're willing to take this step because we have the best interest of the children here in mind," said Jennifer Koehler, Board President Todd Stroger's detention center liaison. She called this "a critical juncture" in the center's history and said the county welcomes an outsider to help smooth the transition and help it recover from decades of trouble.

Under the proposal, Dunlap would be a "transition administrator" who would steady the embattled center until Chief Judge Tim Evans could permanently take over, possibly next year.

The county has tried before to lure Dunlap, but he's in demand across the country. He declined comment Tuesday.

His hiring could appease the American Civil Liberties Union, John Howard Association and board critics like Commissioner Forrest Claypool, all of whom are pushing for Stroger to give up total control before then.

Benjamin Wolf, associate legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, said they have agreed to delay that push until July 17.

Charles Fasano, the court-appointed monitor, said Dunlap "would be my absolute first choice" to take over. "But the real caveat for anybody is that this person be given the authority," he added. "You could get Superman in here but if you tie his hands, it isn't going to work."

Online: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/463180,CST-NWS-juvy11.article.