Stories by Matt Masterson

More than 90% of individuals in the gang database are people of color, according to Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson, who says that puts a strain on police-community relations. “There’s an extraordinary adverse effect on certain communities.”

An evidentiary hearing that began Wednesday will be used to determine whether four officers can keep their jobs following accusations they lied about what happened the night Laquan McDonald was killed.

Nearly one out of every three criminal exonerations in the U.S. last year occurred in Illinois, according to a new report. Most of those cases stemmed from disgraced former police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his crew.

Posing as an escort online, a suburban man convinced underage boys to send him pornographic images of themselves, then used those images to blackmail some of his victims into having sex with him. 

Two Chicago police officers are in stable condition after their squad vehicle was struck overnight by an alleged drunk driver who ran a red light in the Lakeview neighborhood.

“Ms. Foxx needs to resign and she should do it quickly,” Chicago police union President Kevin Graham said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Jaquan Washington faces one count of first-degree murder in connection to the fatal shooting last month of Chicago police Officer John Rivera, who was sitting inside his car in River North.

Janiah Monroe was transferred this week after repeatedly claiming she’d been the victim of sexual harassment and abuse inside various all-male prisons. 

Brittani Rice, 18, and Senobia Brantley, 19, were both killed late Monday in what police believe may have been a “targeted” attack on the South Side.

Anthony Jakes was just 15 years old when he says he was held by police for 16 hours and beaten into falsely confessing to participating in a 1991 murder. He served 20 years before he was released from prison.

Attorney Steve Greenberg believes the celebrity attorney may have “bullied” or “manipulated” the Cook County state’s attorney into filing sexual abuse charges against R. Kelly.

The Jussie Smollett case may be over, but confusion over the surprise ending is rampant. Why was the “Empire” star offered a deal? Was his record expunged? We tackle those questions and more.

Jussie Smollett has already forfeited $10,000 to the city of Chicago following the hoax attack he allegedly orchestrated on himself. But if Mayor Rahm Emanuel has his way, that bill will grow to $130,000.

“I stand behind how this office, and how I in particular, handled this case,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said a day after felony disorderly conduct charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett were dropped.

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett exited the Leighton Criminal Court Building a free man Tuesday morning after prosecutors unexpectedly dropped felony charges against him in a case that’s garnered national headlines for months.

Chicago police say they’re considering hate crime charges against two men charged in the fatal shooting of off-duty Officer John Rivera.

As he awaits trial on nearly a dozen charges of criminal sexual abuse, singer R. Kelly is asking a judge to let him travel overseas for a planned three-day concert in April.

The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision comes one month after the state filed its request. With its ruling, former police Officer Jason Van Dyke will continue serving his 81-month prison sentence.

Richard K. Booy, 50, pleaded guilty last year to one count of mail fraud. Prosecutors say he swindled more than $1 million from 15 victims between 2012 and 2016.

Chicago Teachers Union President Jesse Sharkey suggests the union’s rank-and-file members save at least 10 percent of each paycheck “to make sure we can stand strong on the picket line.”

The 31-year-old victim said she was grabbed and assaulted while walking southbound on the 6600 block of North Clark Street on Wednesday evening.

The “Empire” actor entered the plea after his case was assigned to a new judge. He faces more than a dozen charges stemming from a staged attack he allegedly planned against himself.

Chicago Public Schools missed out on as much as $2 million in pre-K payments over the past four school years due to a combination of errors, uncollected tuition and employee fraud, according to the district’s internal watchdog.

“Operation Road Rage,” as the investigation was known, led to the seizure of 1 kilogram of heroin, as well as approximately $100,000 in cash, five firearms and four vehicles.

A grand jury has returned 16 additional disorderly conduct charges against the actor following an alleged attack hoax, according to the Cook County State’s Attoorney’s Office.

Timothy Williams was shot three times during the Feb. 15 attack at a manufacturing facility in Aurora. He believes that attack would have been prevented if state police had “followed their internal protocols.”