More Chicago suburbs pulling plug on red-light cameras
More Chicago suburbs pulling plug on red-light cameras
More Illinois suburbs are ditching red-light cameras. Drivers should celebrate after the devices have issued over $1.5 billion in fines and failed to make roads any safer.
By Dylan Sharkey
Vallas: It was a bad weekend, but Chicago’s violent crime rate falling
Vallas: It was a bad weekend, but Chicago’s violent crime rate falling
A violent Independence Day weekend has Chicagoans worried about violent crime, but it was a spike and not a trend. Crime is falling, thanks to new law enforcement efforts.
By Paul Vallas
Chicago’s South Side gets over 3X tickets per red-light cam as North Side
Chicago’s South Side gets over 3X tickets per red-light cam as North Side
Red-light cameras on Chicago’s South Side issued more than triple the number of tickets per intersection as on the North Side between June 2024 and May 2025. Fines citywide dropped over $12 million from the previous 12 months.
By Patrick Andriesen
Chicago speed cameras take $90.9 million from drivers in 2024
Chicago speed cameras take $90.9 million from drivers in 2024
Chicago’s speed cameras issued $90.9 million in tickets and fees to drivers in 2024, down $11.3 million from 2023. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s is adding 50 new speed cameras to recover those fines, with 11 issuing tickets by the end of June.
By Patrick Andriesen
Vallas: Brandon Johnson’s war against Chicago’s Black community
Vallas: Brandon Johnson’s war against Chicago’s Black community
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson claims racism is behind his inability to lead and help the Black community. But his policies on crime, taxes, migrants, education and jobs are the real villains.
By Paul Vallas
Chicago aggravated batteries hit 5-year high; 3 in 5 victims are Black
Chicago aggravated batteries hit 5-year high; 3 in 5 victims are Black
Chicagoans reported the highest number of aggravated batteries through February in the past five years, with Black residents accounting for 3 in 5 victims.
By Patrick Andriesen
Chicago violent crime trends up as arrests trend down
Chicago violent crime trends up as arrests trend down
Chicago residents reported 28,443 violent crimes during 2024. Attacks and threats were both up, with aggravated assaults hitting a 20-year high.
By Patrick Andriesen
How many gang crimes occurred in your Chicago neighborhood?
How many gang crimes occurred in your Chicago neighborhood?
How often did gang crimes happen in your Chicago neighborhood? Here’s what the Chicago Police data shows.
By Patrick Andriesen
4,098 Chicagoans killed in gang crime in 20 years
4,098 Chicagoans killed in gang crime in 20 years
Chicago gang crime declined to its lowest level in the past two decades in 2023, but the numbers may be more about gangs fracturing and police losing their gang database. Still, more than 1-in-5 homicides were suspected of being gang related.
By Patrick Andriesen
Where on Chicago Transit Authority are you most likely to be crime victim?
Where on Chicago Transit Authority are you most likely to be crime victim?
Chicago Transit Authority Green Line riders were the most likely to be crime victims for the 12 months ending in September. The most dangerous CTA stop had nearly 7 crimes per 100,000 riders compared to 1.3 systemwide.
By Patrick Andriesen
Tom Sanderson
Tom Sanderson
“Sept. 19, I had to work late. And along the way back to my parking garage at Wells and Madison, I stopped at a 7-Eleven.” “There’s a guy on the ground there, panhandling. He asked me to get something for him and I said, ‘Sorry, I don’t have anything for you.’” “As I came back...
New Cook County prosecutor faces challenges to fix Kim Foxx legacy
New Cook County prosecutor faces challenges to fix Kim Foxx legacy
A new Cook County state’s attorney inherits crime problems aggravated by her predecessor, Kim Foxx. Eileen O’Neill Burke seems ready to fight crime without abandoning efforts to be fair to minority defendants. Here’s what she should do.
By Chris Coffey