NATO & All the Unanswered Questions
Well Chicago, the long awaited NATO summit is almost upon us. With all of the reporting surrounding the closing of streets and the disruptions to everyday life, little attention has been paid to what is coming Chicago’s way and whether or not the Chicago Police and their allies are ready for even a relatively light […]
Felony Sex Crime Case Processing: Report, Analysis, & Recommendations
Examining how the numbers the agencies in Chicago release related to felony sex crime cases are created, what do they really mean, and what is hidden behind those numbers. Criminal justice agencies play a very important role in assisting communities in securing their neighborhoods from crime and violence. The basis for how successful these agencies […]
Chicago Media on the Violence in Chicago
It would be nice if the media did their jobs to separate fact from fiction and urban myth. One thing the Chicago media is very good at is being an echo chamber for accusations and rumor rather than taking that material in and comparing it to the facts to see if there is any validity […]
Anita Alvarez v. Journalism Students
Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez’s efforts to shoot the messenger (Northwestern University Journalism Students) rather than heed the message (information that a man might be wrongfully incarcerated for three decades) demonstrates that Alvarez’s administration will be nothing more than what we have grown to expect from than the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO). […]
The Data Vacuum that is the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Inherent in a democracy is the responsibility of its citizens to carefully monitor the actions of the government officials that are acting on their behalf. For citizens to fulfill this role governmental agencies must make the data they collect publicly accessible. This is usually done through the most routine and least empowering means, an annual […]
Devine’s scare tactics & the mounting costs of corruption in the ranks!
1. Channel 7 News recently did a story on the budget cuts proposed by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. The story quotes Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine saying that if his office were required to accept the budget cuts, then his office would be forced to accept more plea bargains. This was Dick […]
Raises, Cuts — we need data!
Do prosecutors really deserve the pay raise Cook County State’s Attorney Dick Devine claims they do? Or should they be burdened with the budget cuts Cook County Board President Todd Stroger demands of the office? Decisions are made on a daily basis that burden the system with no tangible results for public safety, unless repressing […]
Civil Trial (Part 2 of 5)
Lopez’s civil trial was filed in federal court here in Chicago on March 16th, 2001, a date that will become more import in part three of this series. You can read the complaint here. In this case Lopez sued for the following reasons: Excessive force Assault & battery Intentional infliction of emotional distress Unlawful detention […]