Armed with guns and badges but little training, civilian officers provide a less-expensive alternative for law enforcement agencies. But problems at some local departments help illustrate a controversial issue shaded by nepotism, politics and questionable policing.
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Posted inNews
Marie Dillon to Lead BGA Policy Team
Veteran journalist Marie Dillon has joined the Better Government Association to lead its Policy Team.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: Emanuel Blows Smoke About Cigarette Use Among Chicago Teens
There has been a major decline in the share of Chicago high schoolers who smoke cigarettes, but the city doesn’t come close to leading the nation.
Posted inOpinion
Covering Lori Lightfoot: Past BGA Board Member and Now, Mayor-Elect
Lori Lightfoot served on the BGA board from December 2013 to July 2015. The BGA intends to hold Chicago’s new mayor and her administration accountable for upholding our core standards of good government.
Posted inEquity & Economic Opportunity
Poor Left, Rich Thrived When Illinois Hiked Flat Tax
As Illinois debates whether to raise taxes on the rich, IRS data show better off tax filers stayed put when flat tax rates jumped a few years ago despite fears so called job creators would leave the state to avoid paying the increase.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: No, Chicago Isn’t ‘Often Bailed Out’ by State Taxpayers
Experts we spoke with summed up the claim as a “myth,” “clearly not true,” and “total nonsense.”
Posted inOpinion
Greising: Pritzker Needs to Go All the Way on a Fiscal Fix
So long as the governor is considering a change to the Illinois Constitution, he should not stop with just one.
Posted inOpinion
Greising: Lightfoot’s Election Night Speech Was One to Savor — but What’s Really Possible?
Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot’s first priority must be wrangling the city’s fiscal mess.
Posted inNews
Fact-Check: No ‘Jobs Tax’ in Pritzker’s Tax Plan, Despite What Attack Ad Claims
Pritzker is calling for a switch to a graduated-rate income tax — not a ‘jobs tax’ — and has proposed a rate structure that would hold the line for all but the wealthiest earners.
Posted inNews
What the Gov: What Do The Mayoral Candidates Have to Say About The Environment?
Here’s how Toni Preckwinkle and Lori Lightfoot’s platforms compare on key environmental issues in Chicago, plus what activists want to see from the new mayor.
