A handful of Illinois park districts operate taxpayer-funded police forces separate from the regular police departments that already patrol the same communities. With badges sometimes handed to the well-connected, the practice raises questions of redundancy, liability, nepotism and expense.
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Posted inAnalysis, Perspective, Policy
Andy Shaw: Illinois School District Administration A Bureaucratic Boondoggle
Illinois school districts are so administratively top heavy that they’re depriving schools of valuable instruction dollars.
Posted inPress Release
Award Winning Red Light Camera Reporter To Join BGA
The Costly Toll of Dead-end Drug Arrests, published in December, examined how thousands of Chicagoans — mostly Black men — are arrested on drug possession charges judges, police and prosecutors all know will never stick.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Chicago Light Overhaul To Cost Double That Of New York’s
The mayor appears to have generated more headlines than results with a privatized infrastructure spending proposal that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars more than he said it would.
Posted inEvents
BGA Announces 2017 Driehaus Award Finalists
The Costly Toll of Dead-end Drug Arrests, published in December, examined how thousands of Chicagoans — mostly Black men — are arrested on drug possession charges judges, police and prosecutors all know will never stick.
Posted inLegal
BGA To State Supreme Court: Make IHSA Records Public
Should the largest governing body for competitive high school sports in Illinois be required to comply with open records law? They don’t think so. We do.
Posted inAnalysis, Perspective, Policy
Andy Shaw: Time For Leaders To Walk The Walk On Chicago Reform Talk
Reforming gun sentencing, bail and police union contracts are just some of the encouraging efforts around Chicago.
Posted inFollow-Up, Investigation
Video Gambling Jackpot For Pols And Pals
The growth of video gambling in Illinois and the riches that go with it has opened new vistas for clout. Some politicians and their friends have cashed in.
Posted inLegal
BGA Vs. IHSA: Landmark Lawsuit Heads To State Supreme Court
Should the largest governing body for competitive high school sports in Illinois be required to comply with open records law? They don’t think so. We do.
Posted inLegal
BGA Questions Whether Emanuel Email Disclosures Were Complete, Seeks To Reopen Lawsuit
To settle an open records lawsuit brought by the BGA, the city in December released a trove of emails from the mayor’s personal accounts which involved public business. The watchdog group is asking a judge to take a fresh look at how forthcoming the city was.