When Kevin Long showed up at the Daley Center last month, the results could have been disasterous.
Officials caught Long, 48, with four large, steel hunting knives, leading investigators to uncover a cache of 1,600 knives at his home. Long, on parole for harassing a witness, was charged with 51 counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Many of the knives were made of a hardened polymer that would render metal detectors, such as those at the Daley Center and airports, ineffective.
Today, Cook County commissioners will discuss a proposed ordinance that would ban the possession and manufacturing of such knives. The proposal has the backing of Sheriff Tom Dart.
"I can think of no conceivable use for these knives that an ordinary knife couldn’t accomplish," Dart said in a statement. "They’re as dangerous as any other knife, except they aren’t picked up by metal detectors. That’s a frightening scenario."
Commissioners Edwin Reyes, Bridget Gainer and Gregg Goslin are co-sponsoring the measure, expected to be referred to the County Board's law-enforcement committee.
The county law would exempt military members and law-enforcement officers and would not apply to utensils used for food.
It follows a similar City Council ordinance proposed last week.