Stories by Heather Cherone

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability determined that four tactical team officers assigned to patrol the Near North (18th) Police District violated the civil rights of three people when the officers improperly searched a car shortly after 8 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2024, records show.

Taste of Chicago will feature a total of 84 food vendors and 20 food trucks, officials said. Approximately 38% of the vendors are making their first appearance at the Taste of Chicago.

“One proposal is not a silver bullet,” Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) said. “But we should do what we can, when we can.”

The ordinance's passage means that tipped workers in Chicago would not get another city-ordered wage boost as scheduled on July 1, 2026, or July 1, 2027.

After winning the endorsement of the Ethics and Government Oversight Committee, a final vote on the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. Fair Access to Democracy Ordinance by the full City Council is scheduled for Wednesday.

David Glockner said he would focus his efforts on areas “that matter most for the effective, equitable and efficient delivery of city services” and use his office’s audit authority to probe the “most significant risks.”

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) claimed that the agents acted negligently when they falsely arrested and falsely imprisoned her on Oct. 3, 2025, in the emergency room of the Humboldt Park Health Hospital.

The agreement also calls for the city to build or rehabilitate 2,000 new affordable units accessible to those with limited mobility as well as an additional 840 new affordable units accessible for Chicagoans with limited hearing and sight during the next 12 years, officials said.

“We have endured quite a bit,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “It has been a barrage of just crisis after crisis that I’ve had to manage, but again, you know, I’ve made it very clear that it’s a lot more effective and easier to lead when you are leading with your values and your convictions.”

Jose Almanza-Martinez, 67, died in the crash that ended the chase on Aug. 2, 2020, near 26th Street and Pulaski Road, records show.

Arnold Day was convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison in 1992 based on confessions coerced by Chicago police detectives trained by Jon Burge, a disgraced Chicago police commander, according to court records.

Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts told the Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee that officials are still weighing the bids submitted by nine firms, including one by SoundThinking, the firm that operates ShotSpotter.

Any verdict or settlement in the case would be paid by Chicago taxpayers, who will also foot the bill to defend Ald. Jim Gardiner’s claims.

The fine is the largest ever levied by the Chicago Board of Ethics, which was founded in 1987.

A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson said he supported the compromise measure even though it would undermine one of his major legislative accomplishments as he prepares to run for a second term as mayor.

The cost of defending and resolving police misconduct lawsuits has become a frequent source of political heartburn for members of the Chicago City Council.

“This verdict reflects the jury’s clear conclusion that the crash resulted from the fleeing offender’s own actions, and not from the city’s lawful pursuit,” Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry said.

The agreement averts a trial that would have asked a federal jury to decide whether former Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara coerced Arturo DeLeon-Reyes into confessing to a 1998 Bucktown double murder.

The City Council’s Police and Fire Committee voted 14-2 to send Anjanette Young’s nomination to serve a four-year term on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability to the full City Council for a final vote on May 20.

“There is a mismatch here in terms of what the people of Chicago and Illinois are most concerned about and how government is responding and reacting,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The Chicago City Council’s License and Consumer Protection Committee voted to ban the thousands of unpermitted sweepstakes machines that operate in all kinds of businesses across the city, including in bars, restaurants, gas stations, laundromats and convenience stores.

In the trial set to start May 11, a jury will be asked to decide whether former CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara framed Arturo DeLeon-Reyes, whose conviction in a 1998 double murder was overturned after a judge determined Guevara told “bald-faced lies” while under oath.

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $285.8 million on overtime for members of the Chicago Police Department during 2025, 5.6% less than the previous year, according to the data.

Mayor Brandon Johnson called David Glockner “a seasoned public servant with the experience, independence, and integrity needed to serve as the city’s watchdog and strengthen accountability across our operations.”

Officials have now determined that officers assigned to tactical team in the Harrison (11th) Police District on the West Side, one of the most violent in the city, violated dozens of department rules during three traffic stops.

Between 2023, when Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling took office, and 2025, the number of times police officers used force against a member of the public increased approximately 35.8%, according to CPD data.