City workers are pruning trees more than twice as quickly after an overhaul that gives alderpeople less power to control services.
Investigations
Posted inInvestigating Responses
A Mentally Ill Man was Restrained in a Chair for 68 hours at Franklin County Jail, Violating Policies, Report says
One man was restrained for 68 hours, another for 27 hours. Both were mentally ill. The jail’s own policies say restraint should never last more than 10 hours.
An Illinois disability rights watchdog group says the jail violated both its own policies and state standards.
Posted inCriminal Justice & Public Safety
Many cameras. Little focus. Blurry results.
Chicago police bet big on pricey surveillance cameras. Two decades later, the devices do little to solve most crimes.
Posted inInvestigations
Luxury Home or Vacant Lot? Cook County Assessor Misclassifies Hundreds of Properties, Missing $444M in One Year Alone
An investigation by Illinois Answers Project and the Chicago Tribune found Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office missed critical data from at least 620 properties in 2023, with big implications for those taxpayers.
Posted inInvestigations
How We Reported on Cook County Assessment Errors
Reporters from Illinois Answers Project and the Chicago Tribune collected and analyzed thousands of points of data to track down where the Cook County assessor misclassified hundreds of properties.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
Most Illinois jails restrain people in chairs. This county ‘violently shocked’ them, too.
A few years ago, Coles County Jail promised to stop using electrified “stun cuffs” to shock people restrained in chairs. How much has changed?
Posted inInvestigations
Series – Strapped Down: Restraint Chairs in Illinois Jails
The Illinois Answers Project found jail staff are restraining people in chairs in ways that often violate policies and last longer than recommended by manufacturers.
Posted inStatewide Investigations
The U.N. Calls Restraint Chairs Torture. Illinois Jails Use Them Every Day.
The Illinois Answers Project found jail staff are restraining people in chairs in ways that often violate policies and last longer than recommended by manufacturers.
Posted inPartnerships
Illinois lawmakers’ attempt to reinstate wetland protections fails as legislative session ends
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a major Clean Water Act provision protecting wetlands. Illinois lawmakers attempted to codify protections into state law during this year’s session. The bill will be brought up again during the fall veto session
Posted inFollow-Up
Police Reports: School Officials Blocked Cops Access to Video Surveillance and Discouraged Witness From Cooperating After Fatal Shooting on Campus
The records, obtained by the Illinois Answers Project, provide greater detail on the clash between CPS and CPD at Juarez High School where four students had been shot, two fatally .
