Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has most recently moved her troops to the Northern Illinois city of Rockford--- Alden Park Strathmoor Nursing Home to be exact-- to search for nursing home patients with criminal warrants. 

Operation Guardian, as the program is known, is a program created by Ms. Madigan in response to the widely publicized articles regarding the presence of violent criminals living in Illinois Nursing Homes.  The program utilizes the combines resources from the Attorney Generals office, as well as representatives from state and local law enforcement agencies for unannounced visits to nursing homes that are suspected to house dangerous patients.

This visit to Alden Park Strathmoor turned up two patients with criminal warrants and two more patients with warrants, but required skilled nursing care at the facility.  The remaining patients with criminal records will be kept under special security.

While I certainly applaud the efforts made by Attorney General Madigan to reduce the number of criminals living amongst the general nursing home population, I feel the only meaningful way to reduce the frequency of criminal living in Illinois nursing homes is to force facilities to do their own criminal background checks.

Until the nursing homes are held accountable for allowing people with known criminal tendencies to freely live amongst our most vulnerable, I firmly believe we are bound for more horrific news headlines chronicling the despicable acts committed on the defenseless.

Read more about this raid on Alden Park Strathmoor Nursing Home here.

Related Nursing Homes Abuse Blog Entries:

Man Falls From Fourth Floor Window To His Death At Alden Nursing Home

Blacks Receive Inferior Care At Most Nursing Homes

Nursing Home Safety Bill Provides Promise Of Improved Care In Illinois

Attorney General Hunts Down Drug Dealing Nursing Home Patient During Raid