Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke is no longer in Chicago.
Van Dyke was transferred Tuesday morning to the Rock Island County Jail in far northwestern Illinois, one of 45 jail detainees who are being kept outside of Cook County.
"Jason Van Dyke was transferred for his safety, and for the stability of the jail compound,” said Cara Smith, policy director for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Smith said Van Dyke, who was convicted of 2nd degree murder last Friday, spent the weekend in Cermak Hospital.
This was for security reasons, not due to any health concerns.
Smith told NBC 5 that detainees from the jail will usually be transferred for one of three reasons: they have assaulted a member of the jail staff, they are cooperating with prosecutors on a pending case, or they are a high-profile defendant for whom more security is deemed appropriate.
Van Dyke falls into that third category.
A jury convicted Van Dyke last week of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke was found not guilty of official misconduct.
A sentencing date for Van Dyke will be set on Oct. 31.
