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CPD Failed to Document Suspensions, Reprimands: Watchdog

(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)

Chicago Police Department officials failed to document more than half of all reprimands of officers and more than a third of all suspensions between 2016 and 2021, according to an audit released Tuesday by the city’s watchdog.

CPD’s inaccurate and incomplete disciplinary histories makes it impossible to trust that police officers are being held responsible for misconduct, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said.

“Chicago has a fundamental obligation to administer a robust, transparent police disciplinary system in which both members of the public and members of CPD have reason to be confident,” Witzburg said in a statement. “There can be no meaningful, credible accountability — and we cannot hope to foster public trust — if we cannot, at the most basic level, actually ensure that discipline is implemented where we have found misconduct; this is where the rubber meets the road.”

More context: 

The inspector general’s audit examined all sustained disciplinary cases against CPD officers between April 13, 2016, and April 13, 2021. CPD leaders told Witzburg the department has significantly improved the way it tracks officer discipline.

Officers found to have violated department policy can face four levels of discipline: violation noted, reprimand, suspension and separation.

Former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson took over CPD in April 2016 and was fired in December 2019. Former Supt. David Brown led CPD from April 2020 until March 2023.

Although police brass “appropriately recorded” orders to fire officers, the audit said, “CPD could not provide documentation for over half of the finalized reprimands and over a third of finalized suspensions.”

Witzburg attributes some of the poor record-keeping to “gaps in the coordination among city departments which is necessary to implement different types of final discipline,” according to the audit.

CPD, the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Public Safety Administration, created in 2020, each have responsibilities when it comes to suspensions and terminations, according to the audit.

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Lawmakers, Advocates Remain Divided on Immigration Reform

(WTTW News)

As Chicago deals with the aftermath of aggressive immigration enforcement, some advocates say reform is needed now more than ever.

Both Republicans and Democrats say that the system needs change, but for decades, they haven’t agreed on how to fix it. While some say there aren’t enough legal pathways for people to become citizens, others argue for tougher restrictions to discourage illegal immigration.

There hasn’t been major immigration reform since 1986, when then President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act into law. It legalized millions of undocumented immigrants while also introducing new employment verification requirements, making it illegal for immigrants to work without authorization.

There have been some attempts at policy change in recent years. Last year, Congress attempted to pass a bipartisan border security bill that would have cracked down on illegal immigration. But the effort failed after a Republican filibuster. 

Two opinions: 

State Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) said the current laws don’t do enough to reduce illegal immigration and the TRUST Act makes law enforcement harder.

“Gov. Pritzker rolled out the red carpet for illegal immigrants,” Chesney said. “Where we’ve seen the challenges is when it comes to coordination on removing those criminal aliens in our communities.”

Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, suggested lawmakers revisit past proposals that would allow immigrants who have overstayed their visas or entered the country illegally to pay a fine to be eligible for amnesty. He said reform should focus on making it easier to immigrate legally while addressing border security.

“Congress has sort of abdicated their responsibility to reform a system that has not been functioning well for a very long time,” Soerens said. “We’ve seen Republican presidents like George W. Bush and Democratic presidents like Barack Obama try to resolve that with actually very similar policy proposals. How you solve this is not a huge, confusing question.”

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Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino Back in Chicago as Federal Immigration Operations Ramp Back Up

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent takes part in an early morning operation in Park Ridge, Ill., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo / Erin Hooley)

Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino and masked federal agents have resumed immigration operations in and around Chicago, weeks after he and hundreds of agents left the area at the start of the winter season.

Illinois officials have confirmed that a large group of federal agents returned to Chicago and have resumed “terrorizing our community,” Illinois Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said Tuesday.

The Berwyn Cicero Rapid Response team said it confirmed that Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents were present in the predominantly Hispanic Little Village neighborhood at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

That response team said agents were traveling in a “caravan” of at least seven vehicles and were “targeting people through alleys.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately disclose how many, if any, arrests had been made Tuesday.

Videos posted to social media also showed Bovino — who left Chicago to continue operations in North Carolina and New Orleans — back in Chicago on Tuesday. Bovino has led the Trump administration’s “Midway Blitz” enforcement operation that launched in September and included numerous aggressive raids that saw federal agents deploy tear gas, pepper balls and other weapons against local residents.

More from WTTW News: 

• A Gurnee man who spent nearly three decades behind bars after being convicted of murdering his ex-wife has been awarded a $13 million settlement through a civil lawsuit he brought in 2023.

   

  
  

Back in the Day: Dec. 17, 1975 - Chicago Blues Legend Hound Dog Taylor Dies 

Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on April 12 sometime in the 1910s (the exact year is debated). Born with six fingers on each hand, he spent his early life working as a sharecropper and began playing guitar at age 20. After members of the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross outside his home, Taylor moved north to Chicago and became a full-time blues musician. He achieved local success, and in the early '70s signed with the legendary and still active label Alligator Records, where he released two solo albums before dying of lung cancer on this date in 1975 — 50 years ago today. Reviewing his 1974 album "Natural Boogie," the legendary Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau wrote, "Taylor is a spiritual and cultural miracle." In 1984, Taylor was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. His induction statement closed with, "He was not a virtuoso, nor a master technician. But the few things he could play, he could play like no one else could. He told writer Bob Neff the way he would like to be remembered: “He couldn’t play [expletive], but he sure made it sound good.”

Chicago-Area Live Music Recommendations for Dec. 17-30

Each Wednesday, WTTW News producer Josh Terry presents must-see live music shows from indie rock to jazz, country, hip-hop and more.

Wednesday, Dec. 17: 
The Lemonheads, Erin Rae at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
The legendary rock group behind “It’s a Shame About Ray” is having a career resurgence, but get there early for the golden-voiced opener from Nashville. 

Friday, Dec. 19: 
The Cool Kids at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Chicago hip-hop royalty makes a stop in Ukrainian Village. 

Hollyy, Ruby De Anda, Samuel Aaron at Thalia Hall. Tickets. 
Soulful, smooth and funky pop music from the local headliners. 

Friday, Dec. 26 and Saturday, Dec. 27: 
The Waco Brothers at Hideout. Tickets for Friday and Saturday.
Chicago roots rock mainstays play their annual “Yuletide Ramble.” 

Saturday, Dec. 27: 
Neptune's Core, Jane Hobson,  Anna Henson at Epiphany Center for the Arts. Tickets.
See some local talent play in the West Loop. 

Monday, Dec. 29: 
Four Tet, Dylan Brady, INVT at Radius. Tickets.
Need some electronic music to get you out of a holiday funk? Head to Pilsen for this gig. 

Tuesday, Dec. 30: 
Sextile, Snõõper at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Name a more iconic duo. These two electric live acts team up for two NYE nights in Ukrainian Village. 

Dehd, Wombo at Thalia Hall. Tickets.
The excellent Chicago post-punk trio kicks off two NYE shows in Pilsen. 

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What's your favorite Chicago-made or Chicago-themed holiday gift?

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• As negotiations continue, we have the latest on where the city budget stands ahead of an impending deadline. 

5:30 PM | 10:00 PM

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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry