Police Practices and Racial Justice

The ACLU of Illinois historically has confronted policing practices and attitudes entrenched in many municipalities that result in reprehensible and unconstitutional racially-biased policing. Many police agencies–especially in Chicago–are broken and need sustained, focused attention with court oversight to be reformed. The ACLU of Illinois is committed to this process, and to seeing reforms through. We are working to change official and unofficial policies that protect officers engaged in abuse and misconduct against residents. These problems have been especially troubling historically in communities of color. The ACLU of Illinois believes that we can build a police system that encourages and respects each individual, welcomes community involvement and serves every neighborhood.