Do Not Call List FOIA Requests
Today, the Chicago Justice Project filed several requests under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) seeking records related to the Do Not Call List. This is a list of officers whom the SAO has deemed to have credibility issues to such a degree that the office will […]
Justice Data Withheld: CJP Takes IDOC Battle to Appellate Court
At the Chicago Justice Project, we believe that transparency is the foundation of accountability. When public institutions operate in the dark, communities suffer and reform becomes impossible. That’s why we took the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to court. In July 2020, we submitted 24 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to IDOC, seeking data […]
South Bend Police Department (SBPD) Open Records Requests
On Friday, August 1, CJP expanded our transparency work to South Bend, Indiana—specifically focusing on the South Bend Police Department (SBPD). As part of our ongoing commitment to government accountability, we submitted a series of open records requests under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act to help shine a light on the inner workings […]
Request to Chicago OIG: Audit CPD FOIA Practices
On Tuesday, CJP filed a request with the Office of the Inspector General for the City of Chicago, requesting that their office audit the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to determine if the CPD’s response to requests under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act complies with the law. We also requested that the OIG pay special attention […]
What does the science say about ShotSpotter?
In a first-of-its-kind independent analysis of the effectiveness of ShotSpotter, the science says the technology does not lead to more arrests and convictions for gun crimes and does not reduce these crimes in the areas where it is deployed. The study examined the impact of ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City. To understand the science […]
Update on PGPD Lawsuit
Chicago Justice sued Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) on March 12, 2024, to enforce Maryland Public Information Act document requests, pending since 2021. The lawsuit seeks documents and records regarding the Prince George’s Police Department’s participation in and collection, storage, and dissemination of gang affiliation data for the Washington/Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. […]
Time to Remove Guns from People Suspected of DV?
We open season four with a discussion of Karina’s bill, which hopes to formalize a process for the courts & police departments throughout Illinois to seize guns from individuals who have an order of protection entered against them. Our guest today is Danielle Parisi Ruffatto, Managing Director of the Family Law and Protective Orders Division […]
OIG FOIA – Ald Sposato Letter on Dexter Reed
CJP submitted our request to the Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) to obtain a copy of the letter that 38th ward Alderperson Nicholas Sposato sent to the OIG. This letter is in response to public comments made by Civilian Office of Police Accountability Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten related to Chicago Police Department shooting of […]
Sexual Violence on Campus FOIAs
CJP Nation is researching how Chicago universities respond to sexual violence on campus. As part of their research they are reviewing the mandated reports the universities have to file both to the federal and state governments. As part of this work the group learned that each university in Illinois has to file a report with […]
Trying to Erase History is Purposeful
On today’s show, we discuss the connection between racialized policing in the US and the efforts by the right-wing to erase slavery from America’s history. We discuss this with Joseph Flynn, the Executive Director for Equity and Inclusion in the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and an associate professor of curriculum and instruction […]