Stories by Heather Cherone

Here’s a look at the challenge facing the Chicago Police Department during the Democratic National Convention and the rules officers will have to follow during the protests that the gathering is sure to trigger.

Cases that involved at least one officer with repeated claims of misconduct accounted for nearly 43% of the $384.2 million paid by taxpayers to resolve police misconduct cases between 2019 and 2023, according to the analysis.

The Chicago Police Department has yet to launch a new study of whether officers are efficiently and effectively deployed across the city to stop crime and respond to calls for help. “I don’t understand what the hold up is,” Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) told WTTW News. “This is years, if not decades, overdue.”

The first-of-its-kind audit by Inspector General Deborah Witzburg of the city’s workers compensation system found “major improvement” in the system that paid $73.5 million to resolve approximately 3,700 claims in 2022.

Charles Cui, 53, of Lake Forest, was convicted in December alongside Ed Burke of one count of federal program bribery, three counts of using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity and one count of making a false statement to the FBI. 

The Republican nominee for president mentioned Chicago only once during a panel discussion at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue.

The lawsuit filed by John Velez, who spent 17 years in prison before his conviction in the murder of 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village was overturned, is set for trial for July 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Edmond Chang ruled Tuesday.

Republican nominee for president Donald Trump is set to take questions about the “most pressing issues facing the Black community” at noon Wednesday at the Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue.

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has yet to provide the Office of the Inspector General with the evidence that prompted the commission to call for a probe into “the quality and integrity” of the investigations into police misconduct by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, according to a letter obtained by WTTW News.

In all, it has already cost Chicago taxpayers more than $98 million to defend disgraced former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara, investigate his conduct and resolve lawsuits that allege Guevara violated dozens of Chicagoans’ civil rights, according to WTTW News’ analysis.

The Democratic National Convention will close off wide swaths of the Near West Side around the United Center and downtown around McCormick Place, under a security plan law enforcement authorities released Thursday. “Chicago is ready,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We were born ready.”

If the city loses at trial, it could cost taxpayers between $18 million and $34 million, according to public warnings that most of the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee ignored.

City officials said Tuesday they are “hyper prepared” for a renewed surge of buses paid for by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to arrive in Chicago before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in less than four weeks.

“We are expanding this lawsuit to ensure that other irresponsible actors who have contributed to the proliferation of easily modified Glocks in our city are held accountable for their role in this deadly new frontier plaguing Chicago’s residents and communities,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.   

“President Biden united the country by defeating Donald Trump in 2020 and Chicago is grateful for his leadership and his service,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Today, President Biden cemented his legacy as the rare leader who puts people above himself.”

Republican nominee former President Donald Trump has said he will only accept the results of the Nov. 5 general election if “everything is honest.”

“We will adhere to the Republican platform, we are a party of the people and freedom,” Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said, declining to say whether she personally supports a national abortion ban. 

“Well, I'll tell you your blue funk is over,” newly elected chair of the Illinois Republican Party Kathy Salvi said. “We're going to make Illinois red again.”

Here’s what a second term for former President Donald Trump could mean for Chicago.

Brooks, a Republican, posted on social media that he is “grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to giving a shoutout to Chicago and Opportunity Block,” a reference to Brooks’ efforts to remake one of Chicago’s most violent blocks.

“We’re at a crossroads here,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said. “The contrast couldn’t be more stark.”

With 20 days to go before the initiative faces a deadline of Aug. 5 to file at least 56,464 signatures to put the question to Chicago voters on the Nov. 5 ballot, the committee has just $83.47 on hand after spending $175, according to state records.

“God spared our great leader Donald J. Trump,” said U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Springfield), kicking off the breakfast. “The darker it gets the brighter we can shine.”

Authored by Ald. Timmy Knudsen (43rd Ward), the measure allows officials to fine those who leave materials in public areas or on private property that appear to be hazardous or pose a threat to public safety.

Chicago taxpayers have paid nearly $71.9 million since 2019 to resolve lawsuits involving police pursuits, with the city’s insurance coverage paying an additional $25 million, according to a WTTW News analysis.

John Velez was convicted of killing 26-year-old Anthony Hueneca in Little Village. The jury did not hear evidence that Velez was actually in Cicero at the time of the shooting.