William Carter spent a total of four years in jail after pleading guilty in two cases and being convicted in a third that he alleges were based on false evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers.

Dozens of Chicagoans have accused former Chicago Police Detective Kriston Kato of torturing them into confessing to crimes they did not commit. Kato has denied any wrongdoing.

In all, Chicago taxpayers spent $120.3 million since January 2019 to resolve 31 lawsuits filed by Chicagoans injured during police pursuits, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.

Anna’s Law is named after 22-year-old Illinois resident Anna Williams, who brought the issue of police insensitivity to victims of sexual assault to state lawmakers after her experience with law enforcement officials in 2021.

Nationwide protests erupted in the summer of 2020, a so-called racial reckoning, shortly after a video of the killing surfaced online. Residents took to the streets demanding systemic change to policing and the prison system.

Just five months into the year, Chicago taxpayers have spent at least $144.5 million to resolve nearly two and a half dozen lawsuits, exceeding its budget to resolve lawsuits alleging police misconduct by more than 76%, city records show.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer praised the revised policy as an example of what can be achieved through the consent decree process.

Leonard Gipson spent two years in jail and pleaded guilty in three cases that were based on evidence gathered by former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes.

There was snow on the ground and the temperature hovered around 5 degrees in the early morning hours of Feb. 8, 2021, when Briana Keys, now 39, got locked out of her Back of the Yards apartment, according to her lawsuit.

“I won’t rush to judgment, but I will say this as the chief executive of this city: Constitutional policing ensures that our public employees are adhering to a standard that reflects our values. If you don’t do that, you won’t have a place in the city government,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday.

Mayor Brandon Johnson Johnson declined Monday to say whether Chicago police officers should continue making traffic stops for minor violations to find evidence of an unrelated crime.

City officials agreed in June 2023 to expand the consent decree to include when officers can stop and search Chicagoans, which are officially known as investigatory stops.

The task force, formed in February, has met twice, and the next meeting is set for Wednesday, Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood said.

“Look, we have inherited quite the mess,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said, emphasizing that many of the lawsuits allege misconduct that occurred decades ago.

Ald. Gilbert Villegas plans to invoke a rarely used rule at Wednesday’s Chicago City Council meeting to force representatives of Mayor Brandon Johnson to answer questions publicly about their plan to handle police misconduct lawsuits.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) said the program is “absolutely” racially motivated. “Unless you’re Stevie Wonder or Helen Keller, you can see it,” she said.