Hundreds of University of Illinois students evacuated after false threats called into police
Police tell us a person called 911, claiming to be in the building with guns and pipe bombs. None were found and no one was injured.
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Illinois police with credibility issues have arrested hundreds of people and testified in court at least 1,700 times
The U.S. Supreme Court cases Brady v. Maryland (1963) and Giglio v. United States (1972) established the practice of sticking police officers on Brady lists, which track cops with histories of dishonesty, bias, or misconduct, to help prosecutors fulfill this disclosure requirement.
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19-year-old killed in Halloween mass shooting near IWU is identified, as police continue to search for who and why
McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder identified 19-year-old Giana Dettloff, a college student from Carol Stream, as the person shot and killed in the incident.
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Two years after Illinois Answers exposed restraint-chair abuse, jails are doing better
The multi-part investigation, which was published starting in 2024, led to better oversight by the state’s jails-monitoring unit. It has also been cited in federal lawsuits and a new law-enforcement training program.
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State standards designed to prevent jail suicides don’t always work
According to records Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority provided in response to Illinois Answers’ public-records request, at least 30 people died by suicide in Illinois jails between 2019 and 2025.
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Unsanitary, unsupervised, understaffed: Most Illinois jails aren’t meeting minimum state standards
Illinois Answers reviewed annual jail inspections from 2017 to 2025 and reached out to state agencies to learn more about how they’re compelling jails to meet standards. The investigation found that many jails across Illinois violated standards for poor sanitation, healthcare and food services, among other concerns.
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Winnebago County guards fire pepperballs more than any other Illinois jail — often on people with mental illnesses
In Winnebago County Jail, the state’s second-largest, incident reports show officers have fired at a single person inside a cell 24 times since 2019, directly hitting them in at least 13 of those incidents.
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Dozens of deaths in Illinois jails missing from state records
An Illinois Answers Project analysis revealed that 63 people who died in jails were missing from state data on in-custody fatalities. Now the state is auditing its records.
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Escapes. Fires. Rebellions. Trove of records reveals chaos inside Illinois county jails.
Jail staff are supposed to report any “extraordinary or unusual occurrences” to the Jail and Detention Standards Unit (JDSU) within the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). But jails have been haphazardly reporting for years, and some incidents were never disclosed to the JDSU.
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Public defense reform advances as Illinois moves to hire statewide public defender
The initial statewide public defender will serve a two-year term and receive a salary of $218,400 — equal to that of Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
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Philo Road Ahead Initiative moves forward with opening of Community Engagement & Violence Prevention Office
Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams stands in front of the newly opened Community Engagement & Violence Prevention Office in Urbana on Sept. 10, 2026. He says the goal is to improve safety and help residents connect with the resources they need.
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Former Sangamon County deputy convicted of murder dies while in custody
State parole board denied a medical release for Sean Grayson just three weeks ago.
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Teen arrested for robbery in Campustown
Four teenagers are accused of committing aggravated robbery in Champaign’s Campustown Tuesday.
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Rantoul teen found dead after flooding accident in rural Champaign County
The county coroner’s office said the body of Elias A. Smith, 17 was found Monday in a flooded drainage ditch in Condit Township, west of Rantoul.
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Illinois House begins investigation into indicted Rep. Carol Ammons
Ammons pleaded not guilty on July 16 to 10 felony charges, including wire fraud, lying to the FBI and conspiring to obstruct justice.
