Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Although it started almost accidentally, John Crivellone’s path to the Cook County Public Defender’s Office has resulted in a successful and fulfilling 16-year career as an investigator.
“The best part of my job is the people and staff that I work with. The Cook County Public Defender’s administration goes out of their way to make sure that I have everything that I need to do my job to its fullest,” he says. “They go above and beyond what I have expected of any organization. Even if I am having issues in my personal life, they are there for me and ask me how they can help.”
Crivellone was born in the Italian enclave around 26th and Wells streets in Chicago. He grew up farther south, near 83rd Street and Kenneth Avenue, but often visited his grandparents and other relatives in the old neighborhood. His father’s family hailed from the town of Cantalupo, near Naples, while his mother’s family was from Sicily.
Crivellone says he grew up with Italian traditions — for example, he carried the statue of St. Christopher’s during the parade for the annual Feast of St. Mary — and listened to Italian music, but didn’t speak Italian at home. “I did listen to my aunts and uncles speak it, and I picked up on some words and phrases,” he says.
After graduating from St. Rita High School in Chicago, Crivellone took college classes at night and on weekends, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Chicago State University in his 30s.
During that time, he worked in publishing, doing everything from delivering newspapers to writing and advertising sales. He also worked for the city of Chicago in a number of jobs — from clerk to waste collector and painter — for the Cook County Sheriff’s office and for a security firm, eventually finding his way to the Cook County Public Defender’s office.
“It has been a plural existence where I had to reinvent myself a couple of times,” he says. “Thankfully, I was young and energetic enough to be able to achieve the things that I have.”
Crivellone and his wife, Cathy, a labor and delivery nurse, line in southwest suburban Oak Lawn. They have been married for 37 years and have three sons.
Crivellone is a member of the Oak Lawn Elks Club and the Freemason Lawn Lodge No. 815, which meets in Oak Lawn. He will be leading the latter next year. He also has been a member of Medinah Shriners in suburban Addison and was a liaison for the Cook County Public Defender’s office to the Shriners Hospital of Children’s Christmas toy drive.
The Cook County Public Defender’s office takes on cases for the indigent, and Crivellone’s job as an investigator can be multifaceted.
For example, it can involve visiting the crime scene and taking pictures of the area, as well as interviewing the defendants, victims, relatives and any potential witnesses. The work also can entail visiting potentially dangerous high-crime areas, but that’s simply part of the job, he says.
Crivellone says his most memorable investigative success involved a teenage boy from Chicago’s West Side.
“He was a good young man and rarely went out because of dangers that he and his family witnessed in the neighborhood. He was a good student, and he had no criminal history,” he recalls. “One night he ventured out and saw some friends a couple of blocks from his house. When he stopped to talk with them, Chicago police pulled up and checked everyone. A couple of people had guns on them, so the police arrested everyone and charged them with felony gun possession — even though our client did not have a gun.”
“I investigated the case thoroughly,” he says. “The lawyer took it to trial and we received a not guilty (verdict). The young man went free and is doing well to this day.”
Crivellone is also an author, publishing under the name Jack Crivalle. His first book is titled “Ink on Your Hands: Sal’s Newspaper Crumbles Under Corporate Takeover.” His second book, “Big Brother is Watching,” is being published this month. “It is about how average citizens are being tracked by a multitude of agencies, corporations and government in general. This is being done through our cell phones, cameras on every corner and biometrics,” he says.
After a long and varied career, Crivellone says he plans to retire next year.
“I will be sorry to go, as I have enjoyed my time with the Cook County Public Defender,” he says. “But as I age, I must come to the realization that time waits for nobody. Time has snuck up on me and I now have grandchildren I want to spend time with.”
