Chicago Illinois Criminal Defense Blog

Video recordings have helped to clear the names of the thousands of innocent people who have been falsely accused of crimes. While most people understand the value of recording police encounters, they aren't aware of how they can do so without breaking the law. You have the right to protect yourself by filming your interactions with law enforcement and knowing the law can help you to feel confident when pulling out the camera.

Here's what you should keep in mind if you ever come across on-duty officers.

When it comes to police department reform, communities are looking for ways to have more power in holding officials accountable. In Chicago, one group wants the community to have the power to fire a superintendent.

The Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability released a proposal that suggests a seven-member civilian board be given the power to fire the city's police superintendent. It also calls for the mayor to retain the ability to fire a superintendent as well.

The alliance has been working on this proposal for over a year, after the Mayor's Police Accountability Task Force recommended the city create a community oversight board. Thirteen community groups are involved with the alliance.

If you are thinking about taking something that you believe is yours or that does not belong to you from someone else's home or car in Chicago, you could be committing theft or robbery. Both are crimes that can get you time behind bars, a criminal conviction and haunt you for the rest of your days. 

You may think that theft or robbery charges are the same, but they are not. They are two different crimes that carry separate penalties. It is important for you to know the difference between them so you have a better understanding of what you may be up against if you find yourself facing criminal charges. 

People die of natural causes every day, but sometimes there is foul play involved and a death turns into a murder case. When police then start searching for a suspect, they will likely base their conclusion on a few key pieces of evidence. Of course, citizens trust that law enforcement will handle evidence carefully and adhere to standards of due diligence in building a case against any one potential suspect. According to Time, the city of Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the nation, with nearly 28 homicides for every 100,000 residents. Those suspected to be guilty of or involved in a murder should be aware of the following three kinds of evidence that law enforcement may use against them.

Eyewitness accounts