Who is policing the streets in Illinois? A joint investigation by the Illinois Answers Project and WGN Investigates uncovered questionable hiring practices at police departments throughout the state. Robbins is among the towns with a history of hiring officers who have been fired from other police departments for alleged misconduct. The south suburban village has hired a total of 46 officers who have been fired. No other department statewide has hired more ..read more

CALUMET CITY, Ill. — An elderly man has been charged after allegedly stabbing a young mother more than 120 times in Calumet City nearly 60 years ago. James Barbier, 79, was taken into custody by Calumet City police Monday in Creve Couer, Missouri, which is outside of St. Louis. He's accused of entering the home of Karen Snider, 18, late in the night on Nov. 12, 1966. Officers had to process a brutal scene in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue after Snider sustained 125 stab wounds. Karen and her husband Paul The case became cold and was re-examined again by Calumet City police in Dec. 2022. In the ..read more

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — It’s a new push that could affect homeowners across Illinois. If passed into law, the state’s Fuel Gas Detector Act would require gas alarms to be installed inside buildings.  Similar legislation is also being considered in other states. The purpose is to protect against gas explosions, which have increased in number and can destroy property and cause serious injuries. In cities such as Chicago, which has aging infrastructure, proponents of Senate Bill 1161 say this legislation could potentially save lives. “We treat so many other hazards in our home. Why would we let ..read more

DOLTON, Ill. — FBI agents visited Thornton Township offices in the south suburbs, one week to the day after they made a similar Friday afternoon stop at Dolton Village Hall. Both governments are run by embattled politician Tiffany Henyard. WGN Investigates has learned the township subpoenas seek financial and employment records as well as specific information about several people close to Henyard.  She is the supervisor of Thornton Township as well as the mayor of Dolton.  Related: ‘No one wants to represent the Village’: Law firm drops out of Dolton cases An FBI spokesperson wo ..read more

DOLTON, Ill. — The law firm that represents the Village of Dolton and its embattled mayor, Tiffany Henyard, is withdrawing from nearly two dozen cases after not being paid. "We are, of course, not required to work for free and decline to do so," stated attorney Michael Del Galdo in a letter to Henyard and the Dolton Village Board. More: FBI makes second visit to Tiffany Henyard’s turf The letter says the Del Galdo Law Group is withdrawing from defending the village and its officials in cases ranging from officer-involved shootings to jail suicides and other matters. It goes on to warn the mayo ..read more

DOLTON, Ill. — Dolton Mayor Tiffany Heynard's top aide, Keith Freeman, pleaded not guilty to bankruptcy charges Wednesday as he's named in another lawsuit against the embattled mayor. Freeman is a senior administrator for both the Village of Dolton and Thorton Township. Tiffany Henyard’s admin spent $100K on travel "I think that many practitioners in this building would be surprised to see the level of attention and press being paid to a bankruptcy indictment," attorney Josh Herman said. He is accused of hiding his Dolton income in bankruptcy proceedings and underreporting his income by $95,00 ..read more

DOLTON, lll. — What happened in Vegas isn’t staying in Vegas... and it's leading to new questions about a south suburban politician’s penchant for first-class travel and allegations she retaliated against two subordinates who reported a possible sexual assault by a Dolton trustee on the trip.   Tiffany Henyard is not only the mayor of Dolton, she’s also the supervisor of Thornton Township. FBI agents served subpoenas at village hall Friday for employment and disciplinary records for more than a dozen employees; and Henyard's top aide was indicted for bankruptcy fraud earlier in the w ..read more

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — New numbers from the chief judge of the Cook County court system seek to help answer the question: Has releasing more defendants awaiting trial made us less safe? Data show that 10,353 felony defendants have been released pre-trial since new provisions of the SAFE-T Act took effect in September of 2023. Of those, 89% were not charged with new crimes. However, 10% of criminal defendants have missed a scheduled hearing data and a judge has issued a warrant for failure to appear. "Initial statistics indicate that our jurisdiction has reduced the number of defendants in c ..read more

DOLTON, Ill. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation served subpoenas at the Dolton Village Hall Friday afternoon, according to an FBI spokesperson. Sources told WGN News a handful of FBI agents arrived around 2:15 p.m., but as has been standard practice in recent weeks, the doors were locked and the agents had to identify themselves to the employees inside before ordering them to open the doors. Two separate subpoenas were served today, according to Burt Odelson who is the official legislative counsel for the group of Dolton trustees who have opposed Henyard.  One subpoena asked for “emplo ..read more

DOLTON, Ill. — Andrew Holmes is best known for comforting crime victims’ families in Chicago; but he’s also an elected trustee in south suburban Dolton. A lawsuit now accuses Holmes of sexual assault during a taxpayer-funded trip to Las Vegas. WGN Investigates has obtained a police report in which the alleged victim details a night of drinking and smoking marijuana at several Vegas hotels before she says she became disoriented. While names are redacted in the report filed in March with South Holland police, the civil lawsuit names Holmes and Dolton mayor Tiffany Henyard. WGN Investig ..read more