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.
“One proposal is not a silver bullet,” Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) said. “But we should do what we can, when we can.”
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.
It is now up to Circuit Court Judge Adrienne Davis to decide whether there is enough evidence to uphold the conviction of Anthony Garrett in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Dantrell Davis, who was shot and killed by a sniper at Cabrini-Green in 1992.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Officer Michael Donnelly’s actions “brought significant negative attention and discredit upon the department” and “exposed CPD to civil liability,” COPA concluded.
“This step allows us to continue pursuing the case in a manner that fully protects the rights of Adam Toledo’s family,” said Adeena Weiss Ortiz, the lead lawyer for Elizabeth and Marco Toledo, the teen’s parents. “Let me be clear: This case is not over.”
The city’s 2026 budget set aside just $82.5 million for police misconduct settlements, and authorized officials to borrow an additional $283.3 million to cover the soaring cost of lawsuits alleging wrongdoing by police officers, records show.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg did not conclude in the report released Wednesday that the CPD members deliberately covered up the fatal crash. Instead, Witzburg found that their actions prevented her office from “conducting a full and complete investigation."
 

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