In an interview by Ben Joravsky with Dave Glowacz on the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky Show, Dave and Ben give their persepectives on audio from the July 2020 meeting of the full Chicago City Council.

In an interview by Ben Joravsky with Dave Glowacz on the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky Show, Ben and Dave listened to audio from the June 2020 meeting of the full Chicago City Council—and part of a "confidential" conference between the mayor and alderman.

In an interview by Ben Joravsky with Dave Glowacz on the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky Show, Dave and Ben listened to audio clips from the Chicago City Council's February, 2020 meeting—including a rich aldermanic debate on a city lawsuit settlement.

Audio of Chicagoans who gave Mayor Lori Lightfoot their advice and pleas at budget town halls that took place in September and October of 2019.

In an interview by Ben Joravsky with Dave Glowacz on WCPT-AM's Ben Joravsky Show, Ben asks Mr Bike about Chicagoans in black areas that have gotten bicycling tickets in far greater numbers than those in white areas, and more.

In an interview by Ben Joravsky with Dave Glowacz on WCPT-AM's Ben Joravsky Show, Mr Bike talks about unpredictable and unlawful biker behavior, and more.

At its February, 2018 meeting, the Chicago Police Board dismissed an officer who drunkenly threatened to kill himself with a gun, then lied to investigators.

The Chicago Police Department released a list of officers promoted since 2006 by way of merit selection—identifying the sponsor of each promotee.

In five percent or less of non-fatal shootings, Chicago Police hold no one accountable, says a Sun-Times reporter.

The U.S. Dept. of Justice is holding little-advertised public forums to get citizens' input on their encounters with Chicago police.

Interview in which the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky looks at aldermen's assertion that the Emanuel administration misled them about the McDonald shooting, and more.

The Chicago Police Board is seeking applicants for the position of police superintendent, to replace the recently fired Garry McCarthy. Applicants should be adept at "avoiding excessive force, corruption, verbal abuse or other misconduct."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel already has in-depth recommendations about how to reform policing in Chicago—and reportedly has sat on them for a year.

Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on what citizens can do when government won't release public records, and more.

Interview with the Chicago Justice Project's Tracy Siska about "Convicted in Cook," an analysis of Cook County conviction data.

Just before Christmas of 2014, the city of Chicago released a report on police misconduct−how to prevent it, that is.

The report was prepared by the law firm Schiff Hardin and the management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, both based in Chicago.

Although the firms say they provided the report at no cost, the city has paid Schiff Hardin (also known as Schiff Hardin & Waite) about $1.2 million for various services since 2010. Schiff Hardin has helped defend the city against lawsuits brought by citizens who have claimed police misconduct.

To head off misconduct, the Schiff Hardin report recommends that Chicago Police Department:

• Adopt discipline guidelines, where few or none exist today.
• Fire any officer engaging in a “code of silence.”
• Include training as a discipline option.
• Make supervisors more directly responsible for officer conduct.
• Look into officer-worn cameras.

To handle misconduct after it happens, the report's authors say that:

• Misconduct investigations should wrap up within two years.
• Various investigative bodies should use the same case management system.
• Investigators should have a community advisory board (which, the authors later say, has already been created).
• To get accused officers to cooperate with investigations, investigators should "plea bargain" with them.
• The city should increase the number of investigators.
• Officers should have less opportunity to appeal discipline decisions to the police board.

In response, officers blasted the report via the termagant Second City Cop blog. Blog posters said that:

• The annual number of citizen complaints has decreased, so why boost the number of investigators−especially when detectives and evidence technicians are in short supply?
• The report's authors are a "bunch of assholes" for proposing to restrict the number of "false accusers" that are referred for prosecution. Noting that a false accuser can be charged with a felony, a blogger calls this idea "fucking brilliant."
• Though former top cop Jody Weiss's policy was to "fuck [officers] every chance you get," officers credit Weiss with fighting citizen lawsuits in court to cut down on frivolous complaints. According to the blog, the Emanuel administration has done a complete 180: it's gone back to settling lawsuits. It did this "in order to enrich connected [law] firms," which the city often hires to defend accused officers.
• The department can cut down on misconduct-related lawsuits by firing "untouchable" clouted cops who "cost millions" in legal fees. Examples of these "clout babies," says the blog, can be found in daily headlines: "sergeants raping women . . . sergeants firing guns at suburban cops . . . detectives shoplifting . . . commanders sticking guns in people's mouths...things like that."

Cook County board president Tony Preckwinkle is poised to seize a job that's done by the man who wears the sheriff's star: responsibility for putting jail detainees on electronic monitoring.

The Chicago's Inspector General's Office issued a report recommending that the Chicago Police Department use civilians to staff hundreds of positions currently held by police officers—saving up to $16.6 million per year.

Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on the two forms of justice and more.

Interview with the Chicago Reader's Ben Joravsky on comparing Mayor Emanuel's control of the marijuana issue with Mayor Daley's control of a smoking ban, and more.