There were 38 homicides recorded throughout the city in January, an 8.6% jump over the same month in 2024, according to new data from the Chicago Police Department.

An officer who was part of the team that fired 96 times in 41 seconds in the fatal shooting of Dexter Reed resigned from the Chicago Police Department in late 2024 and accepted a job with an Ohio police department.

In all, the settlements approved Wednesday account for nearly half of the city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

Convicted in 2006, Ben Baker spent 10 years in prison before he was released in 2016, three years after former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts was convicted of taking bribes.

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent more than $73 million from January 2019 to August 2024 to resolve two dozen lawsuits filed by Chicagoans injured during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee is set on Monday to consider the proposed settlement, which would add to the toll of Jon Burge’s legacy of torture and misconduct more than 30 years after he was fired. A final vote of the City Council could come Wednesday.

If approved, it would be the seventh lawsuit filed by Chicagoans who said they were the victims of Reynaldo Guevara’s misconduct to be resolved, at a cost of $78 million to Chicago taxpayers.

Treasure Hendrix, 35, died after ingesting a toxic cocktail of cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and ecstasy, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her death was the result of an accidental overdose, according to her autopsy.

The independent monitoring teams for Chicago's police consent decree include former police brass who have previously been involved in consent decrees and reform efforts across the country. Despite their professional credentials, some members have documented histories of misconduct that might complicate the long-running effort.

According to the Chicago Police Department, seven people were shot in seven separate shooting incidents between Friday and Sunday evenings. Of those victims, two were killed while another person was killed as a result of blunt force trauma.

For the year, there were 573 homicides recorded throughout Chicago last year, down from 620 in 2023 and 714 in 2022.

The Chicago Police Department has said that although it has received “no actionable intelligence” regarding any possible incidents near the downtown skyscraper, it will conduct additional patrols in the immediate area.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said she would convene hearings before expanding the consent decree to include traffic stops.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it is investigating an “off-duty officer involved incident” after a 26-year-old man was struck during an exchange of gunfire in the 1000 block of South Mayfield Avenue.

If the verdict is upheld, it would nearly equal city’s annual $82 million budget to cover the cost of police misconduct lawsuits.

“The level of compliance is unsatisfying to the public,” U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said. “I am determined that we will be seeing good progress ... in 2025. Let’s accelerate the progress.”