Casey Toner

A BGA/WBEZ probe revealed suburban police are never disciplined for shooting people despite dozens of questionable incidents. Legislation to address the problem is meeting little resistance in Springfield, but imposes only minor reforms.

Leading black lawmakers in Springfield say they will press to close a loophole in state law that allows suburban police to avoid administrative scrutiny after shooting people, an omission highlighted in a recent Better Government Association/WBEZ investigation.

See the police files and locations for the shootings that were the basis of a WBEZ/Better Government Association investigation into police accountability.

Just outside of Chicago, cops throughout suburban Cook County have shot dozens of people under questionable circumstances. They have shot unarmed suspects, innocent bystanders and even fellow officers caught in the crossfire. A WBEZ/Better Government Association investigation found at least 113 police shootings in suburban Cook County since 2005. Comprehensive administrative reviews were rare, and many police departments had lax — and often ignored — use of force policies. Listen to all five audio stories here. These stories are part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

Police officers just outside of Chicago have confronted the mentally ill, fired during high-speed chases and even shot other officers.

Most police policies advise against shooting at moving cars, but such guidelines aren’t always followed by police in confrontations.

Riverdale police fatally shot Brandon Harper in 2009. No weapon was found at the scene. This story is part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

Dolton police officer Major Coleman has shot at six people in his 20-year career. He’s one of at least 13 suburban Cook County cops who have shot more than one person. This story is part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

Maywood police fatally shot Xavier McCord in 2012. His family claims police planted a gun at the scene to cover up a mistake. This story is part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

Robert Lyons was killed by a police sniper’s bullet after an eight-hour standoff in which he pleaded 32 times for the SWAT team to leave. This story is part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

There is little evidence that suburban police departments second guess their officers who fire weapons under questionable circumstances.

Franklin Park police fatally shot former music teacher Daniel Mojziszek after running him off the road during a 2010 low-speed chase. This story is part of a joint project of WBEZ and the Better Government Association. See all the stories here.

Cash-strapped suburbs with some of Cook County’s most dangerous streets struggle to retain officers, but also promote some with checkered pasts.