As Chicago decides whether to end the controversial service that alerts police to gunshots, the city of Dayton, which canceled its contract, may offer some lessons.
Criminal Justice & Public Safety
Posted inInvestigations
Alderperson Says Migrants Are Causing TB Outbreaks at Police Stations, But It’s Not True
Housing migrants temporarily at Chicago police stations is no one’s first choice, but a rapidly growing number of asylum seekers arriving in the city from border communities in Texas have […]
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Police Officer Suicides Tripled in Two Years As CPD ‘Stalled’ on Progress With Consent Decree
Chicago Police Department efforts to bolster wellness program under the consent decree were faltered because of a lack of data and risk losing compliance in some instances
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Chicago Police’s Foot Pursuit Policy Explained
A police officer seemingly adhered to the Chicago Police Department’s foot pursuit policy — still cost him his life
Posted inInvestigations
Big talk, slow progress from Mayor Lightfoot on anti-violence programs
City Hall touts its $410M plan to fight crime but has spent little money; some cash goes to street outreach groups with no experience or troubled leadership.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Explained: Illinois’ Assault Weapons Ban and the Legal Challenges It Faces
A new law banning assault weapons is facing an uphill legal battle with scholars hesitant to say it will survive challenges
Posted inInvestigations
Life and Death in Chicago’s Most Dangerous Bike Lane
In Chicago’s busiest bike lane along Milwaukee Avenue, there have been 50 reported crashes and three deaths since 2020 as cyclists navigate the city’s patchwork approach to safety.
Posted inSolutions
Is It Working? Cook County’s Domestic Violence Court Strains to Improve and Expand a Year After a Reckoning
As officials work to overhaul an overloaded and flawed court system, advocates and survivors say the finish line is a long way off.
Posted inInvestigations
New Illinois Law Gives Cops Choice Not To Jail People for Small Amounts of Drugs
The change follows a Better Government Association/Chicago Sun-Times investigation last year that documented the impact of ‘dead end’ drug arrests in which people are briefly locked up, only to see the charges soon dismissed.
Posted inInvestigations
Days of Blunder: Bike Lane Ticket Bonanza for Drag Racers
Drivers on road nearby quiet city park known for bird watching slammed with hundreds of bike lane infractions