In response to officer killings of unarmed men around the country last summer, the Chicago Police Department equipped 30 police officers with body cameras late January, as part of a pilot program to provide evidence (or lack thereof) of police misconduct, such as unlawful search and seizures or excessive force,…
A female jailer at the Cook County Jail was arrested and charged with felony custodial sexual misconduct recentlyafter an internal investigation allegedly confirmed the jailer had sexual contact with an inmate. The arrest was part of an ongoing operation by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to uncover corruption and inappropriate…
A Northbrook woman was charged with residential arson for allegedly setting fire to the second floor of the home she shared with her mother. Neither the defendant nor her mother were home when the fire broke out. Defense of Chicago Residential Arson Residential arson has two elements that must be…
A Chicago woman was charged with child endangerment following the beating death of her 16-month-old son at the hands of her boyfriend. The mother was charged after evidence showed that she had been aware that the boyfriend was allegedly burning her son while he cared for him, but did not…
A Chicago woman was charged with the October domestic violence related murder of her boyfriend. The woman, who stabbed her boyfriend in the chest shortly following what police called a domestic violence altercation, was charged with first-degree murder. Defense of Domestic Violence Murder Charge Any murder charge is a serious…
A Chicago man was charged with six counts of theft by deception for allegedly obtaining merchandise through telephone solicitations and then turning around and selling it for cash. Defense of Chicago Theft by Deception The article does not clarify the alleged deception, but one likely scenario (and the one we…
A Chicago man was charged with arson last week for allegedly throwing a lit matchbook into a recycling bin in an El station before boarding his red line train. Chicago Arson Defense Under Illinois law a person commits arson if he knowingly damages another person’s personal property, if that property…
A Cook County man was arrested last week and charged with felony aggravated domestic battery after allegedly grabbing a female friend and dragging her in to her garage and refusing to let her call for help for almost 24 hours. Although arrest documents include a kidnapping charge, the Cook County…
The Illinois State Police announced the arrival of a new member to its K-9 unit recently, a dog trained in narcotics detection to aid in drug crimes investigations. I have discussed extensively on this blog the 4th Amendment right of all people to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.…
Eyewitness identification is heavily relied upon by juries and judges when deciding on a criminal defendant’s guilt or innocence – yet it is the leading cause of wrongful conviction. A new Illinois law seeks to cut down on the misidentification of criminal suspects in police lineups by eliminating the potential…