“The taxpayers don’t pay us for intellectual curiosity. They pay us to get convictions.” While these words may have been thought by many prosecutors in the past, none have been bold enough to say them until now. This is just one of the controversial comments a Lake County prosecutor is under fire for—comments that have led to him announcing his retirement in January. read more

Officer Gildardo Sierra has been with the Chicago Police Department for nine years ago. But this year has no doubt been the most turbulent. So far in 2011, Sierra has shot three people in the line of duty, two of those shootings resulting in death. Now, Sierra is under investigation and many are wondering why he wasn’t taken off the streets sooner. read more

In an effort to reduce jail populations and help offenders remain within the community, Cook County officials are expanding the use of electronic monitoring devices. While 2010 saw only 100 defendants in the county with the monitors, this year so far, there have been 865, a serious increase. read more

In the first study of its kind, the Urban Institute found that police surveillance cameras in Chicago have had a noticeable impact on crime in the areas in which they are placed. The same couldn’t be said for Washington DC, however, and the report links the difference to the enforcement related to the cameras. read more

This week the city of Chicago released an online database that allows anyone to search for any criminal offense that occurred over the last 10 years. No other database like this exists in the country, as Chicago attempts to crawl out from under their reputation as being secretive and corrupt at even the highest levels of city government. read more

Several local police departments have signed up to use the new website idthisperson.com in an effort to locate people they would like to speak with. Created by two police officers, the site offers a good incentive for people to speak up, paying a $25 gift card to the leads that actually pan out. read more

Tiwanda Moore filed a report with the Chicago police department that she had been sexually harassed by an officer. When to police internal affairs officers came to investigate her claims, she felt they were trying to scare her into changing her report and dropping the allegations—so she recorded them. She was then charged with a felony for the recording and faced up to 15 years in prison. read more

This week Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation to make it easier for local law enforcement to combat crime in these difficult financial times. “Every community in Illinois deserves the highest level of public safety, and law enforcement must have the tools to prevent, investigate, and fight crime,” Quinn said about the new laws. “These new laws help ensure that police departments throughout our state have the resources they need to fight drug and gang activity.” read more

New numbers released from the Illinois Department of Transportation reveal what many minorities already knew—that Hispanic, Black, and Asian drivers are more likely to be ticketed and more likely to be searched when stopped by police. As a result, the ACLU has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to review how the state police handle such searches. read more

New legislation passed the state Legislature with overwhelming support. Now it awaits Governor Quinn’s signature—something that is likely inevitable. The bill would create a murderer registry, designed to track convicted murderers after they’ve been released from prison. While supporters believe the public have a right to know about their neighbor’s past, people who oppose the bill see it as an expensive tool with little real value. read more