Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
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Coverage of civil action, news events, and policy change pertaining to policing in Chicago, Illinois, and the U.S.
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
5d ago
A Cook County Judge ruled Thursday that rank-and-file Chicago cops facing the most serious disciplinary charges can bypass the Chicago Police Board and have their cases heard by an outside arbitrator.
Sun-Times file
A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that rank-and-file Chicago cops facing the most serious disciplinary charges can bypass the Chicago Police Board and have their cases heard by an outside arbitrator, but he found the proceedings should be held in public.
In his 26-page ruling, Judge Michael Mullen said arbitrator Edwin Benn’s decision that such arbitration cases should be he ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Interim Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Thursday, March 30, 2016. Brian Jackson/For the Sun-Times
A federal judge Wednesday tossed a sexual harassment lawsuit which revolved around the 2019 scandal that led to the firing of former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson.
Officer Cynthia Donald had alleged that Johnson subjected her to unwanted sexual advances, abuse and harassment for more than three years while Johnson served as the city’s top cop. She said Johnson forced himself on her, sent her nude photos, made sexual comments and took advantage of his position of power.
But in ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
File photo
File photo
A Cook County judge says he will rule soon on whether the most serious Chicago police disciplinary cases can be heard in private — a decision that will likely lead to an appeal.
Judge Michael Mullen heard lengthy oral arguments Tuesday from attorneys for the city and its largest police union, which has sued to enforce an independent arbitrator’s finding that cops facing dismissal or suspensions for over a year can have their cases decided through closed-door arbitration.
Mullen said a written decision would likely come down Thursday morning.
The handling of serious ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Erika Boyd, mother of Nathen Jones, speaks to reporters on Monday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Chicago taxpayers have paid tens of millions of dollars in recent years to compensate victims of alleged abuse and wrongdoing by Chicago Police Department officers, but it’s hard to imagine a more costly single day than Wednesday.
The City Council shoveled $52.75 million out the door to settle three different cases.
The largest of the settlements — $45 million — goes to Nathen Jones, who suffered a massive traumatic brain injury that left the now 18-year-old on a feeding tube, unable to w ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Lorenzo Davis, photographed in 2015, was fired as a supervising investigator of the Independent Police Review Authority. His attorney says he is a “real life hero for the citizens of the city of Chicago.”
Chip Mitchell / WBEZ
An Illinois appellate court has upheld a $1.1 million jury award for a whistleblower who was fired by the agency that investigates Chicago police shootings after he found officers at fault in some cases.
Lorenzo Davis, 74, was fired in 2015 from his job as a supervising investigator of the Independent Police Review Authority, since replaced by the Civilian Office of ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Erika Boyd (right), mother of Nathen Jones, holds Nathen’s hand during a press conference at the Salvi Schostok and Pritchard law offices on Monday after the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee approved a $45 million settlement agreement in Nathen’s case, sending it to full Council for a vote on Wednesday.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The unauthorized police chase that left her teen son on a feeding tube, unable to walk or speak also changed the course of Erika Boyd’s life.
She became the primary caregiver for Nathen Jones, now 18.
Her long, arduous days begin and end with task ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Cynthia Lane stands with her daughter, Destiny (left), and sister Cynetha Hendrix at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in 2015, after filing a civil rights lawsuit in the death of her 19-year-old son, Roshad McIntosh, who was fatally shot during a foot chase with police the year before.
Sun-Times file
Just under a decade after 19-year-old Roshad McIntosh was shot and killed by a Chicago police officer, a City Council committee will consider a proposed $2.25 million payout to settle a lawsuit filed by his family.
In the days after the teen's death, McIntosh’s family had raised questions abou ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Jackie Wilson, center, his wife Sandra, left, and niece Candace, leave the Cook County Criminal Court after a hearing in 2020.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The Cook County Board on Thursday approved a $17 million settlement for a man who was exonerated after serving more than 30 years in prison for the 1982 murders of two Chicago Police officers.
The settlement will get the county out of a federal lawsuit Jackie Wilson filed three years ago alleging that prosecutors and detectives working for disgraced commander Jon Burge framed him for the murders of officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
1w ago
Grand and Damen avenues, where in April 2021, a westbound Volkswagen being pursued by police collided with a Toyota southbound on Damen. A teen passenger in the Volkswagen suffered a massive brain injury that left him unable to walk or speak, and the city has agreed to a $45 million settlement in the case.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
An unauthorized police chase leading to a traffic accident that left a 15-year-old boy unable to walk or speak will likely result in a $45 million settlement with the city — one of the largest in Chicago history.
The proposed payment would go to Nathen Jones ..read more
Chicago Sun-Times » Police Reform
2w ago
Chicago Police Sgt. Michael Vitellaro is seen kneeling on the back of a 14-year-old boy in Park Ridge on July 1, 2022.
Provided by Romanucci & Blandin
The Chicago Police Department is seeking to fire a sergeant who was shown in a viral video kneeling on the back of a 14-year-old boy he believed was trying to ride off on his son’s bike in Park Ridge.
The process of firing Sgt. Michael Vitellaro for allegedly using excessive force and lying about what happened was already in motion when he was acquitted last June on criminal charges stemming from the incident on July 1, 2022.
However ..read more