Illinois State Police Cadet Class 145 participates in classroom training. Only one of the nine cadets in the class is a woman. (Andrew Campbell / Capitol News Illinois)

The Illinois State Police do have a higher-than-average presence of women in law enforcement leadership, however. Women make up 14% of ISP’s leadership, according to an agency spokesperson. A new initiative aims to increase that number. 

(WTTW News)

Illinois’ assault weapons ban passed after a July 4, 2022, mass shooting in suburban Highland Park. The law banned the sale of AR-15s and scores of other guns beginning in January 2023. People who previously owned guns subject to the law are allowed to keep them, but the weapons must be registered.

Illinois State Police acting chief legal counsel Suzanne Bond told lawmakers the agency has listened to gun owners’ concerns and made changes to the rules that were first proposed in September. (Capitol News Illinois)
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Firearm owners in Illinois will have to wait at least another month before knowing exactly what items they must register with the Illinois State Police under the state’s assault weapons ban, even as the deadline for submitting those registrations is less than three weeks away.

An Illinois State Police squad car is pictured in a file photo. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

Credible cases will be pursued by the Illinois State Police Special Investigative Unit, a group of agents dedicated to investigating public corruption cases.

(WTTW News)

Since the Protect Illinois Communities Act became law in early 2023, the sale of numerous types of guns, cartridges and accessories has been illegal in Illinois. People who owned the covered guns prior to the law can keep them but are required to register them with the state.

An Illinois State Police squad car is pictured in a file photo. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)
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People who own certain guns and other items now prohibited under the state’s assault weapons ban still need to register them with the Illinois State Police. But ISP says it plans to hold additional public hearings about that process and may refine the rules before they become permanent next year. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a news conference on May 24, 2023. (WTTW News)

The Illinois State Police on Tuesday announced that 38-year-old Adam Dabash had been charged with two counts of stalking and one count of criminal damage to property.

(Capitol News Illinois)
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For years, former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White blocked attempts by an ex-state trooper to regain his driving privileges after a high-speed crash that caused the deaths of teenage sisters on a busy St. Clair County interstate in 2007.

(Credit: Chicago Police Department)

There’s been an increase in carjackings nationwide, but Chicago is reporting more incidents than any other city in the U.S.

First responders work the scene of a crash involving at least 20 vehicles that shut down a highway in Illinois, Monday, May 1, 2023. Illinois State Police say a windstorm that kicked up clouds of dust in south-central Illinois has led to numerous crashes and multiple fatalities on Interstate 55. (WICS TV via AP)

More than 70 vehicles, including dozens of commercial vehicles and passenger cars, were involved in crashes May 1 along a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 55 in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

First responders work the scene of a crash involving at least 20 vehicles that shut down a highway in Illinois, Monday, May 1, 2023. Illinois State Police say a windstorm that kicked up clouds of dust in south-central Illinois has led to numerous crashes and multiple fatalities on Interstate 55. (WICS TV via AP)

More than 70 vehicles, including dozens of commercial vehicles and passenger cars, were involved in crashes late Monday morning along a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 55 in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

First responders work the scene of a crash involving at least 20 vehicles that shut down a highway in Illinois, Monday, May 1, 2023. Illinois State Police say a windstorm that kicked up clouds of dust in south-central Illinois has led to numerous crashes and multiple fatalities on Interstate 55. (WICS TV via AP)

The crashes occurred late in the morning and involved 40 to 60 passenger cars and multiple tractor-trailers, two of which caught fire, Illinois State Police Maj. Ryan Starrick said. The highway was shut down in both directions in Montgomery County, 75 miles north of St. Louis.

(WTTW News)

DCFS gained more than 100 employees between 2021 and 2022. Public health employees declined.

WTTW News analyzed state salary data and found some departments got smaller or had a noticeable uptick in employees leaving. Even in agencies that grew, employee churn was evident. We walk you through the numbers. 

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias speaks at a news conference March 23, 2023. His office announced $21 million in grants for law enforcement to target carjackings and auto thefts. (WTTW News)

The $21 million in grants will be funded through a dollar assessment charged annually on Illinois auto insurance policies.

(WTTW News)

Despite a recent shooting on I-57 that killed two teenagers and an infant, Illinois State Police say tactics to reduce gun violence on expressways are working.

Marc Smith, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, discusses the stabbing death of state child welfare worker Diedre Silas during a news conference on Jan. 5, 2022, in Springfield. (AP Photo / John O'Connor)
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Illinois officials are seeking answers after the killing last week of a state child welfare worker during a home visit — the second such tragedy to occur in less than five years.