Methodology (To Serve and Protect)

Using media accounts, The Chicago Reporter created a database of 85 fatal police shootings that occurred in Chicago since January 2000, collecting details such as the victim’s name and location of the shooting.

The Reporter used the victim’s name, where available, to search for wrongful death lawsuits that had been filed on the victim’s behalf at the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois. The search found 17 wrongful death suits in which 20 Chicago Police officers were identified by name as having shot and killed a civilian.

The Reporter then examined these officers’ litigation histories to find out if they had been sued in either state or federal court.

The Reporter also obtained information from attorneys and the Chicago Department of Law about settlements and verdicts from wrongful death suits between January 2000 to July 2007.