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A Tribune investigation revealed that the driver’s licenses of thousands of drunk drivers have not been suspended because the arrests of these drivers are not being logged into state computers. While state officials blame the police for failing to send their reports to the Illinois Secretary of State, the police departments say that they put all necessary paperwork in the mail. While the root of the problem is relatively unclear, the Tribune noted that the mistakes appear to be widespread. In fact, since 2010, more than 3,000 Chicago area drivers’ arrests were not logged and as many as one in 15 DUI defendants do not have suspended licenses in DuPage County.

Police in other states are permitted to log arrests electronically, making the process more efficient and reliable. However, Illinois has not yet made this change and does not expect to for at least a year or likely longer.

In Illinois, the suspension process begins with paper forms that the officers fill out by hand which are mailed to a state office building in Springfield. The state workers then enter the information into the computer, which requires deciphering the officers’ handwriting. There are many opportunities for mistakes to occur, such as the use of improper forms, forms getting lost in the mail or in Springfield and illegible handwriting.

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According to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (“AAIM”), a non-profit citizens action group that has tracked Illinois DUI arrests since 1982, Lake County made the most DUI arrests in the state in 2013. The 233 officers averaged 1.49 arrests per officer, bringing the total number of arrests to 348. Right behind Lake County was Cook County. However, Cook County has more officers in their force. The statistics state that Cook County’s 487 officers made 306 arrests, which is an average of .63 arrests per officer.

AAIM determined that the Chicago Police Department, with roughly 12,000 officers, made approximately 3,400 DUI arrests. The rate of .28 arrests per officer pales in comparison to Lake County.

DUI fatalities in Illinois were down 38% from the last decade. However, the seemingly sharp decline in drunk driving may be due to the lack of arrests by some police departments. Although there is a decrease in DUI fatalities, drunk driving is still a major problem in the United States. One person was killed every 52 minutes due to DUI-related accidents in 2013 across the country.

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A former Northwestern professor, a private investigator and a lawyer are accused of conspiring to frame Alstory Simon, who spent 15 years in prison, for a 1982 double-homicide in Chicago. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Simon, and seeks $40 million dollars in damages, alleging unethical conduct on the part of Northwestern University and professor David Protess. Protess founded both the Medill Innocence Project and the Chicago Innocence project, which are organizations that investigate what they believe to be wrongful convictions.

The suit alleges that Simon was framed in order to free Anthony Porter, who was on death row for the murders. Manufacturing evidence, coercing false statements from witnesses and intimidating Simon into confessing are among the allegations. The suit claims that students working with Protess gave witnesses money for drugs, lied about their identities and flirted with witnesses. Also alleged is that Simon was set up with a lawyer who coached him to plead guilty. The lawsuit claims that Simon was under duress and the influence of narcotics when he confessed.

Investigator Paul Ciolino who is implicated in the case said in a written statement that Porter was indeed unjustly convicted and denied a coerced confession by Simon. The suit accuses Ciolino of impersonating a police officer, confronting Simon while armed and showing Simon a video of an actor falsely claiming to have witnessed the killing. The lawsuit also alleges that Ciolino told Simon he could avoid the death penalty if confessed that the victims were shot in self-defense and promised Simon legal representation and large sums of money from book and movie deals if he gave the statement.

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A Florida attorney has a recommendation for dealing with DUI checkpoints. He says that individuals should place their license and registration up to their window with a flyer saying that they have no comment, will not permit a search, and want a lawyer.

Warren Redlich and an associate, Jeff Gray, have created a website, posting videos of their interactions with police at DUI checkpoints. The video from December 31, 2014, has been viewed more than 2 million times. It was filmed at a checkpoint in Levy County, Florida. The video shows Gray stopping at the checkpoint and displaying a flyer stating, “I remain silent. No searches. I want my lawyer,” along with his license, registration and insurance card in a plastic bag dangling out of the barely open window. The officer examines the documentation with his flashlight and allows Gray to drive through the checkpoint. The Broward County Sherriff’s Office stated that Gray was allowed to go through the checkpoint because “he clearly was not driving while intoxicated.”

Police are unhappy with the tactics being used by Redlich, and insist that drivers must speak with police at the checkpoints. However, Redlich is not backing down and has created flyers for 10 states, each slightly different due to differences in DUI laws. He says there are more flyers on the way.

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While the fate of medical marijuana licenses in Illinois was questionable amid a new governor taking office, Governor Bruce Rauner made a surprising move and awarded dozens of licenses on Monday. Letters were sent out to 18 cultivation centers and 52 retail shops confirming that they have been selected to receive the licenses. Others who have spent thousands of dollars on the application process were disappointed to find out they were not selected.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner conducted an internal review that revealed flaws in the medical marijuana license award process under former Governor Pat Quinn. In a statement made by John Barclay, Rauner’s general counsel, he said that Quinn’s process had created “a risk of substantial and costly litigation” to the state. While Quinn said that applications were subjected to a blind review process, Governor Rauner’s review revealed that state agencies conducted a “character and fitness review” subsequent to the blind scoring.

Still under review are two applications from HealthCentral LLC, an application from strip club owner Perry Mandera, and a company part-owned by Nicholas Vita, a former Goldman Sachs executive who faced lawsuits in other states for opening medical marijuana businesses.

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The question of whether medical marijuana cultivation centers and dispensaries will receive their licenses has been put into the hands of the new governor, Bruce Rauner. Governor Pat Quinn left office without issuing the contemplated licenses and it is unclear whether Rauner will issue them. Rauner showed his opposition to medical marijuana during his campaign but sources indicate that he may be reconsidering his position. A Rauner spokeswoman said his administration is “in the process of reviewing it.”

While the decision to issue licenses has not been made, on Monday morning, Governor Quinn signed into law changes to the current medical marijuana program in Illinois. One significant change is that patients charged with driving under the influence of medical cannabis will have their medical marijuana card revoked and their driver’s license suspended.

Also, state regulators will have the authority to fine and suspend individuals for violating existing law. Before this change, the only penalty was to revoke a violator’s license. Additionally, fingerprints of owners, investors, and employees of cultivation centers and dispensaries as well as patients and caregivers will be checked against state and federal databases.

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1. The liability of parents for underage drinking no longer only applies to residences or private property. State law will be expanded in 2015 to penalize parents who allow those under the age of 21 to consume alcohol in vehicles, trailers, campers or watercrafts under their ownership or control. Parents will face a fine of up to $2,000. If a death results, parents can face a felony charge.

2. The Illinois Tollway Authority will now have the authority to increase the speed limit to 70 mph on interstates in urban areas. The law previously passed in 2013 allowed for a 70 mph speed limit only in rural areas.

3. Individuals, including children, who suffer from seizures will be permitted to be treated with medical marijuana. Although the specific rules and regulations regarding children are not finalized, it is likely that the child will be required to obtain written certification from two doctors.

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As part of its DUI statute, Illinois has a provision that provides that any amount of cannabis or controlled substance in a driver’s system may be the basis for a DUI charge. This is the only part of Illinois DUI law that permits a charge of driving while under the influence – even if there is no evidence that the person was impaired or intoxicated.

The most commonly cited example of the law is the person who may have smoked marijuana days or weeks earlier and then is stopped for a minor moving violation or as a result of an accident. If the officer has any reason to believe that the person had smoked marijuana at some point, the officer may seek testing. Often the situation arises in the case of an accident where the person was injured, taken to a hospital and testing is conducted, revealing the presence of a by-product of marijuana, called a ‘metabolite’.

The most recent example of the absurdity of the law is the case of Scott Shirey. In December 2011, Mr. Shirey was driving with his two young twin sons in his car. While driving, he was broad-sided by another vehicle and one of his children was killed and his old child was severely injured.

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Former West Harvey-Dixmoor Elementary District 147 Superintendent, Alex Boyd Jr., 67, was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to two counts of official misconduct for stealing $78,000. Boyd was originally charged with 20 felony counts of theft and official misconduct. He was accused of stealing approximately $500,000 by making unauthorized purchases and withdrawals from a school district-funded life insurance policy, receiving unauthorized cash to purchase a tax-exempt annuity, and being paid for vacation and sick days that he did not have. Boyd’s defense attorneys contended that his actions were permitted under his contract with the school district. Felony charges were also filed against former board secretary Mable Chapman alleging that she helped Boyd steal from the district. Today, those charges were dropped.

The investigation regarding Boyd’s actions started in 2005, when the Chicago Tribune reported school board members spent $100,000 on travel and restaurants. It was later discovered that the district could not account for or misspent $2.2 million dollars in grant money. The state’s attorney then seized the district’s financial records and searched Boyd’s home.

In Boyd’s final years as superintendent, he was paid a salary of approximately $250,000. He retired in 2011 and was given a $192,000 a year pension, which is the fifth highest pension for a retiring public school teacher or administrator in Illinois.

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Authorities announced today that a former McHenry County police officer, Ryszard Kopacz, of Wauconda, faces new felony charges for selling drugs while on duty. Kopacz, 30, was arrested days after beginning his job with the Richmond Police Department. He was charged with official misconduct, burglary, and possession of stolen guns.

When Kopacz was first charged in July, he was accused of going door to door in his police uniform, soliciting prescription drugs from elderly residents. Kopacz was also charged with burglarizing the Hebron Police Department, his previous employer, and possessing two stolen rifles.

As of today, Kopacz can add five additional counts of official misconduct to the list. He is accused of delivering marijuana on four separate occasions, between February and June, to an informant while “acting in his official capacity” as a Hebron police officer. He is also now charged with unlawful acquisition of a controlled substance based on the allegation that he obtained hydrocodone through “misrepresentation, deception or subterfuge.”

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