Cynthia Erno, Senior Litigation Counsel

Cynthia Erno has been COPA’s Senior Litigation Counsel since July 2020.  Her primary duties include coordinating with the City of Chicago’s Legal Department to strategize on disciplinary process and litigation related to COPA investigations.  Additionally, she advocates for the legal interests of COPA and its personnel in administrative and civil litigation. Cynthia originally joined COPA in 2017 as its Chief Investigative Law Officer.  Prior to joining COPA, she spent 18 years as a prosecuting attorney.  For 16 years, she worked at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, including assignments in the Traffic Division, Juvenile Justice Bureau, Felony Review, and the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau at 26th Street, Markam, and Maywood.  Cynthia devoted a significant amount of her career in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to working on cases involving sexual assaults with child victims, severe child abuse, attempted murder, and murder.  She started her career as a prosecutor in Platte County, Missouri, in which part of Kansas City is located.  Cynthia holds a juris doctorate from Drake University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in French from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.