Christina Eilman was 21-years old when she was arrested in the midst of a mental breakdown at Chicago Midway Airport. It wasn’t what happened to cause her arrest or even while in police custody that the Chicago Police Department is paying for—it’s what happened after they released her. [Read more…]
Criticism for Chicago Police & Mayor Emanuel for “Arresting Everybody”
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is taking heat for comments directed at Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Not one to mince words, Preckwinkle said last week that the two were “too focused on arrests as a solution to rising violence and not enough on improving a ‘miserable’ public school system and beefing up youth programs,” according to the Chicago Tribune. [Read more…]
Police Code of Silence Costs Chicago $850,000
Chicago police officials would have you think there’s just no such thing as a “code of silence”, that “blue wall” that keeps cops’ transgressions quiet through an unspoken system of secrets. But, this week a jury awarded a woman $850,000 to the contrary, saying that Chicago police Officer Anthony Abbate savagely beat her, in part, because he didn’t think he would get in trouble—because the code of silence, the police brotherhood, would protect him. [Read more…]
Massive Pot Field Burned to the Ground on Chicago’s South Side
A marijuana grow field was discovered on Chicago’s Far South Side last week and it didn’t take long for police to completely burn the crop to the ground. The pot field was said to be massive and to be somewhere that police helicopters flew over often, though it remained undiscovered until now. [Read more…]
Your Car Can Be Taken From You If Passenger Has Pot in Chicago
A little known city code in Chicago allows for the city to take your car when someone within it is found to possess a drug—even if you aren’t aware of it. This means drivers in Chicago may want to start patting down their passengers if they hope to completely eliminate the risk. [Read more…]
Illinois “Heroin Highway” Takes Suburbanites Into Chicago
Interstate 88, I-290 and Roosevelt Road have become affectionately known as the heroin highways as they transport more and more suburbanites from the outskirts of the city into Chicago looking to get some heroin. The problem only seems to be getting worse, according to the Herald News. [Read more…]
Marijuana Possession Decriminalized in Chicago
A ordinance passed this week in the city of Chicago reduces the penalty you’ll face if you are caught in possession of marijuana. The change follows similar such ordinances in several large cities across the nation. Now, if you are found in possession of less than 15 grams (or a half-ounce) of marijuana, police can issue a ticket rather than arresting you. [Read more…]
Cook County Electronic Monitoring on the Rise
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…]
Chicago Releases Unprecedented Crime Database to Public
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…]
11 Chicagoans Charged with Unemployment Fraud
Eleven local Chicagoan are facing federal charges of unemployment fraud. While federal cases can be quite different than those levied by the state, a crime is a crime and the potential for prison time is bad no matter what court you’re in. [Read more…]