Crime Commission names Kelly state's attorney of the year

The Illinois State Crime Commission named St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly as Illinois' state's attorney of the year.

"Brendan Kelly's reputation for honesty and integrity is known throughout the state," said Jerry Elsner, executive director of the ISCC. "He's a fighter and the people's prosecutor."

Brendan Kelly has been the state's attorney of St. Clair County since 2010. As the elected prosecutor, Kelly established the Violent Crime Unit, in which the most heinous cases are pursued through vertical prosecution, opened the Tracy Fogarty Domestic Violence Unit, doubling domestic violence prosecutions. He established the St. Clair County Juvenile Justice Council and the Children's Justice Division, increasing prosecution of crimes against children and working to keep kids from becoming felons.

This story was originally published June 29, 2018 at 1:29 PM.