A Chicago law firm released a report yesterday that, since
2003, the city of Chicago spent $63 million legally defending police officers
accused of misconduct. The People's Law Office, which represents clients who
make misconduct allegations, obtained the numbers through a Freedom of
Information Act request. A handful of law firms took in millions: Andrew Hale
& Associates, which the Chicago Reporter noted has been cited for unethical
behavior by judges, got $20 million in city money over the last nine years.
The findings follow an extraordinarily high-profile week for
Chicago police officers, who were a continued presence around largely, but not
entirely, peaceful NATO protests. News outlets like the Chicago Tribune
effusively praised city officers' performance. But the National Lawyers Guild
claims that they are looking at numerous allegations of police brutality.