Police brutality is most common in America’s largest cities—Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, and Houston top the list. In Illinois, Chicago has the highest rate of reported incidents, with ongoing problems also surfacing in cities like Joliet, Fox Lake, and Harvard. Despite reforms and public pressure, systemic abuse, racial profiling, and excessive force continue to plague law enforcement agencies across the state and country.
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Victims of police brutality in Illinois may have the right to take legal action. If you or a loved one suffered abuse at the hands of law enforcement, call 312-600-0000 to schedule a free consultation with a police brutality lawyer at Ankin Law. We’ll review your case for free and help you file an excessive force lawsuit to hold the responsible parties accountable.
What Does Police Brutality Look Like in Illinois?
Police brutality in Chicago and across Illinois isn’t just an abstract legal term—it’s a grim reality for too many residents. While most definitions frame police brutality as the “abuse of power” or “use of excessive force” by officers, that description barely scratches the surface. At Ankin Law, we believe this language sanitizes the truth. Behind every case is a human being—someone beaten, threatened, or killed at the hands of those sworn to protect them.
Common Forms of Police Brutality
Police brutality isn’t limited to high-profile fatal shootings in Illinois. It includes unjustified beatings, racial profiling, verbal abuse, and unlawful arrests. These abuses often go unpunished, especially in major cities like Chicago, where complaints outnumber prosecutions. Common forms of police misconduct include:
- Excessive Use of Force — One primary type of police brutality involves excessive use of force. This happens when a law enforcement officer exerts unnecessary physical violence when detaining or arresting individuals. For example, an officer may hit someone, implement chokeholds, strike the person with a baton, or even use a taser when the detainee is not resisting.
- Verbal Abuse, Intimidation, and Racial Slurs — Verbal abuse by police officers can be just as damaging as physical violence. Victims may be subjected to threats, coercive language, or degrading insults meant to humiliate or provoke. In many cases, officers use racial slurs or targeted language based on a person’s ethnicity, nationality, or background. This kind of abuse reinforces systemic racism and sends a clear message: some people’s rights—and lives—are treated as less valuable than others.
- Sexual Misconduct During Traffic Stops or Custody — Sexual misconduct by law enforcement officers is a grave abuse of power that can occur during traffic stops, pat-downs, or while individuals are in custody. Victims may be subjected to inappropriate touching, invasive searches, sexual harassment, or even assault. These acts are not just violations of civil rights. They are criminal offenses, and they represent some of the most egregious breaches of public trust.
Any of these instances of police brutality may warrant a lawsuit against the law enforcement agency. Victims and their families may recover compensation for the injuries they sustain due to officers’ abuse of power.
Where Are Most Police Brutality Incidents in Illinois?
Chicago leads the state—and ranks among the highest in the nation—for police brutality reports and fatalities. Mapping Police Violence reports that between 2013 and 2022, Chicago police killed 98 people, with most victims being people of color.
Additional cities in Illinois that have seen police shootings in recent years include:
- Harvard
- Fox Lake
- Geneva
- Des Plaines
Joliet
These are more than just police brutality statistics. These are human lives that have been upended, and sometimes lost, because authority was misused.
Why Does Police Brutality Happen in Chicago?
While there is no excuse for police brutality to occur in any situation, understanding why it happens may take us a step closer to preventing this extreme form of law enforcement misconduct. The facts about police brutality reveal a range of contributing factors.
- Weak accountability systems: Internal investigations rarely result in discipline or prosecution.
- Lack of training: Officers often escalate instead of de-escalating confrontations.
- Institutional racism: Minority communities are disproportionately stopped, searched, and harmed.
- Poor hiring practices: Problematic officers often remain on the force unchecked.
How Does Police Brutality Affect Victims and Communities?
Victims of police violence suffer long-term damage. Beyond physical injuries, many experience PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Communities lose trust in law enforcement, especially where misconduct is frequent and unpunished.
When police act outside the law, it sends the message that certain lives and rights don’t matter. That damage runs deeper than any settlement or apology can fix.
What Are Your Rights If You Were Brutalized by Police in Illinois?
Illinois residents are protected under state and federal laws from police misconduct. Your legal rights include:
- The right to be free from unlawful searches and arrests — The Fourth Amendment keeps officers from conducting illegal searches and seizures of people’s property. Police officers also must lawfully arrest and detain individuals under this law, which means that detainees must give officers consent before the officers can search them.
- The right to remain silent — The Fifth Amendment is another protection for Americans. Based on this amendment, individuals can refuse to answer questions and remain silent to avoid inadvertently compromising their case. Officers normally disclose this right to individuals upon arrest when reading their Miranda rights.
- Protection against excessive force and abuse — The Eight Amendment protects people from cruel and unusual punishment. As a result of this amendment, officers could face repercussions if they use unnecessary force to arrest or detain an individual. The Fourteenth allows people to undergo due process, or fair treatment, under the American judicial system. It also protects against unlawful seizure and false imprisonment.
- Protection from discrimination based on race, gender, or disability — Multiple federal laws exist to protect individuals from discriminatory treatment by law enforcement. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits police from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that individuals with physical or mental disabilities are not subjected to unnecessary force, improper restraints, or denial of needed accommodations during police interactions.
When officers violate these laws, they may be held accountable through civil rights lawsuits.
Laws and Regulations in Place to Prevent Police Brutality
There are multiple laws and regulations dictating what cops can and can’t do in Illinois and across the U.S., with new ones on the horizon to help further reduce the risk of police brutality among police departments.
One law is the Use of Deadly Force law, which only authorizes the use of deadly force in self-defense and other similar circumstances. This law also requires officers to warn of the use of firearms before discharging their weapons.
With the civil rights movement of the 1960s came Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for police officers to discriminate against individuals on the basis of color, race, nationality, religion, and gender.
Another law working against police brutality is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This law protects disabled individuals from discrimination, including instances of excessive force, unlawful detention, and the failure to accommodate the individual’s disability.
Title 18 of the U.S. Code also protects against discrimination. This law makes it illegal for officers to intentionally cause bodily injury or attempt to do so using dangerous weapons on the basis of race, religion, sexuality, nationality, disability, or gender.
Despite these protections, few officers face consequences without legal pressure from victims and civil rights attorneys.
Contact a Police Brutality Lawyer at Ankin Law
Police brutality survivors often feel isolated and powerless—but you don’t have to face this alone. At Ankin Law, our attorneys understand how to investigate police misconduct, expose coverups, and demand justice in and out of court.
Call now for a free consultation. We’ll review the facts, explain your rights, and help you decide the next steps toward holding officers accountable.power.
