A civil lawsuit lists new allegations of misconduct regarding an elite police unit whose litany of bad behavior was so extensive that it was disbanded and served as one of the reasons for Mayor Daley to hire Jody Weis as Superintendent with a mandate of cleaning up the Department. The new allegations involve an illegal search of a home in the Hermosa neighborhood on the Northwest side in August 2005. more ›

Police brutality and a lack of transparency go together like...well, not PB&J (a happy combo). Let's say hangovers and dry heaves. The abjuration of responsibility and accountability goes like this: The list of Chicago police officers who have the most excessive-force complaints is secret. The City wants it to stay that way. US District Court Judge Joan Lefkow ordered that the records be unsealed and made available to the public. The City's appealing that order,... more ›

Aurora's Planned Parenthood can open immediately. How bad do things have to get before Daley will denounce what's going on with the Chicago Police Department's Special Operations Section? Even the Associated Press is saying, "Not since club-swinging cops in baby-blue helmets chased demonstrators through clouds of pepper gas at the 1968 Democratic National Convention have Chicago police been so awash in trouble." Dayum. And yet Da Mare has given no indication that he'll disband... more ›

The Special Operations Section of the Chicago PD has yet another scandal on its hands: An unconstitutional sweep of a bar on March 27, 2004, was caught on video, and the officers' story does not, in any way, match what's on the tape, which is now in the hands of the Tribune. News of this perversion of the social contract comes as part of the bigger take-down of the SOS cops' style of protecting and... more ›

"'Cause it's Friday, you ain't got no job ... and you ain't got shit to do." Well, you can go check out the New Orleans Social Club at Millennium Park. If you aren't, here's some stuff in the news. Buckingham Fountain is slated to undergo a complete overhaul in autumn 2008. Near West Side businesses get $1.5 million in TIF money intended for keeping manufacturing jobs in the area. Does Manny Flores have the... more ›

A Chicago Police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to new charges alleging that he and two other officers from the elite Special Operations Section stole $450,000 from a man's South Side home in 2004. A Geneva man is trying to clear his reputation after a nasty prank. Someone mailed out fake flyers to the man's neighbors and co-workers claiming he was a convicted sex offender. Classy. A new exhibit tells how former Japanese internees... more ›