Chicago taxpayers reportedly spent at least $107.5 million in 2024 to resolve police misconduct lawsuits—a problem that will be difficult to solve unless the city is able to identify and hold misbehaving police officers accountable.
An analysis from WTTW News found 122 police misconduct lawsuits involving the Chicago Police Department (CPD) were resolved in 2024. The most expensive area of police misconduct in Chicago continues to be associated with wrongful convictions, making up 42 percent of the total taxpayers have spent on police misconduct lawsuit verdicts and settlements since 2019.
In 2024, $45.2 million went toward resolving wrongful conviction. Almost half of that was paid to Eddie Bolden, who spent 22 years incarcerated for two wrongful murder convictions in 1996. In 2014, an appellate judge ordered a new trial after finding that Bolden's initial trial lawyer had been ineffective, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office ultimately dropped the charges. Bolden subsequently sued, alleging CPD detectives ignored witnesses who could have verified his alibi during the time of the murders. In October 2021, a jury awarded him $25.2 million, but this was reduced to $20 million in 2024 after an appeal.
