Skip to content
ProPublica Donate
ProPublica Donate
Criminal Justice

Police Accountability in Chicago

Monitoring the Chicago Police Department

The Chicago Police Department is among the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States. We have investigated the city’s new police oversight agency, the department’s disciplinary system and a secretive appeals systems.

7 stories published since 2017

A Chicago Cop’s Facebook Posts and a City’s Struggle With Racism

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Chicago Cop Under Investigation Again Over Social Media Posts

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Chicago Police Win Big When Appealing Discipline

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica,

Chicago Police Department Grievances

by Jodi S. Cohen and David Eads, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

Police Oversight Ordinance Promised Transparency But Doesn’t Fully Deliver

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

Returning to the Scene of a Trauma

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Chicago Police Skirt Punishment as Disciplinary System Fails Yet Again

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    The Texas Flash Flood Is a Preview of the Chaos to Come

    Climate change is making disasters more common, more deadly and far more costly, even as the federal government is running away from the policies that might begin to protect the nation.

    by Abrahm Lustgarten,

    Texas Overhauls Anti-Abortion Program That Spent Tens of Millions of Taxpayer Dollars With Little Oversight

    After a ProPublica and CBS News investigation revealed that Texas’ funding pipeline for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers is riddled with waste, nonprofits in the program must now provide a detailed accounting of their expenses.

    by Cassandra Jaramillo and Jeremy Kohler,

    Trump’s FEMA Proposals and Feud With Gavin Newsom Could Devastate California’s Disaster Response

    California frequently suffers some of the costliest disasters in the country. Now state officials fear they’ll be left to face them without federal funding.

    by Jeremy Lindenfeld, Capital & Main,

    Local Reporting Network

    Rx Roulette

    FDA Layoffs Could Compromise Safety of Medications Made at Foreign Factories, Inspectors Say

    Beyond staff cuts, the departures of some longtime investigators in recent months have left less experienced people tasked with rooting out dangerous manufacturing practices.

    by Victoria Malis, Katherine Dailey and Sadie Leite, Medill Investigative Lab, and Debbie Cenziper and Megan Rose, ProPublica,

    Utah Sen. Mike Lee Says Selling Off Public Lands Will Solve the West’s Housing Crisis. Past Sales Show Otherwise.

    Last month, Lee introduced a now-removed amendment to Trump’s policy megabill that mandated the sale of up to 3 million acres. It did little to address the challenges of building affordable housing on public land.

    by Abe Streep,