Sam Charles
@samjcharles.bsky.social
Chicago Tribune reporter covering the Chicago Police Department / criminal justice
scharles@chicagotribune.com
Signal: scharles.77
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sam-charles-staff.html
scharles@chicagotribune.com
Signal: scharles.77
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sam-charles-staff.html
Sorry, the explainer is dead www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sorr...
January 19, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Sorry, the explainer is dead www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/sorr...
This week, the city’s Office of Inspector General published an interactive data portal that allows anyone to see which CPD officers are most often accused of misconduct and identifies which other officers faced accusations related to the same incident. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/c...
New OIG data portal details misconduct patterns among CPD officers, crews
Office of Inspector General now offers an interactive data portal that allows anyone to see which Chicago Police Department officers are connected to misconduct claims.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:22 PM
This week, the city’s Office of Inspector General published an interactive data portal that allows anyone to see which CPD officers are most often accused of misconduct and identifies which other officers faced accusations related to the same incident. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/15/c...
Chicago Police officials this week said more civilian investigators will join the department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs as the office works to finish investigations more quickly and decrease its backlog of pending cases. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/c...
More civilian investigators coming to CPD Internal Affairs to tackle backlog
Chicago Police officials this week said more civilian investigators will join the department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs as the office works to finish investigations more quickly and decrease its …
www.chicagotribune.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Chicago Police officials this week said more civilian investigators will join the department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs as the office works to finish investigations more quickly and decrease its backlog of pending cases. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/14/c...
Chicago and Cook County saw another steep decline in fatal opioid overdoses last year, records show, four years after a recent peak in such cases during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/o...
Chicago and Cook County again see fewer opioid deaths in 2025
Chicago and Cook County saw another steep decline in fatal opioid overdoses last year, records show, four years after a recent peak in such cases during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
www.chicagotribune.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Chicago and Cook County saw another steep decline in fatal opioid overdoses last year, records show, four years after a recent peak in such cases during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/o...
Federal and state prosecutors now say a single gang faction on Chicago’s South Side committed 14 murders and shot at least 18 other people in just two years as part of a brazen crime spree meant to tighten the group’s grip on the West Chatham neighborhood. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/03/p...
Prosecutors link South Side gang faction to 14 slayings in 2 years
Federal and state prosecutors now say a single gang faction on Chicago’s South Side committed 14 murders and shot at least 18 other people in just two years as part of a brazen crime spree meant to…
www.chicagotribune.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Federal and state prosecutors now say a single gang faction on Chicago’s South Side committed 14 murders and shot at least 18 other people in just two years as part of a brazen crime spree meant to tighten the group’s grip on the West Chatham neighborhood. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/03/p...
Chicago violence continued to plummet in 2025 despite high-profile crimes www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/2...
Chicago violence continued to plummet in 2025 despite high-profile crimes
Despite some headline-grabbing mayhem, Chicago’s gun violence fell to levels not seen in a decade in 2025, with a homicide total roughly half what it was just four years ago.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Chicago violence continued to plummet in 2025 despite high-profile crimes www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/29/2...
“Privately made firearms” are now the sixth most common make of gun recovered by CPD, topped only by familiar brands such as Glock, Taurus, Smith & Wesson, Sturm & Ruger and Springfield.
Chicago Police, once again, recovered about 1,000 guns each month in 2025.
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
CPD recovering a steady number of ‘ghost guns’ despite legislation meant to curb them
Through mid-November, records show, CPD officers in 2025 have recovered nearly 400 “ghost guns” — effectively untraceable weapons.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
“Privately made firearms” are now the sixth most common make of gun recovered by CPD, topped only by familiar brands such as Glock, Taurus, Smith & Wesson, Sturm & Ruger and Springfield.
Chicago Police, once again, recovered about 1,000 guns each month in 2025.
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
CPD recovering a steady number of ‘ghost guns’ despite legislation meant to curb them
Through mid-November, records show, CPD officers in 2025 have recovered nearly 400 “ghost guns” — effectively untraceable weapons.
www.chicagotribune.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Chicago Police, once again, recovered about 1,000 guns each month in 2025.
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
Among them: hundreds of untraceable 'privately made firearms' — ghost guns www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/c...
Four Corner Hustlers boss Labar Spann convicted — again — of racketeering and murder www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/g...
Four Corner Hustlers boss Labar Spann convicted — again — of racketeering and murder
Reputed Four Corner Hustlers boss Labar “Bro Man” Spann is once again facing life in prison after being convicted in a retrial of racketeering conspiracy involving four gangland murders…
www.chicagotribune.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Four Corner Hustlers boss Labar Spann convicted — again — of racketeering and murder www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/g...
Reposted by Sam Charles
You know you don't have to post or repost the cruel thing said about the guy everyone loved
December 15, 2025 at 3:24 PM
You know you don't have to post or repost the cruel thing said about the guy everyone loved
Number of unresolved CPD discipline cases crawls toward 500 during court fight www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/n...
Number of unresolved CPD discipline cases crawls toward 500 during court fight
As of mid-December, CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling still must decide whether or not to bring administrative charges in 490 cases in which the Civilian Office of Police Accountability sustained a…
www.chicagotribune.com
December 15, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Number of unresolved CPD discipline cases crawls toward 500 during court fight www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/n...
The Chicago Police Department on Friday released 13 heavily redacted body camera videos depicting the initial response to a crash and shooting in Brighton Park involving federal immigration agents that ended in tear gas.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/c...
Chicago police release redacted video of ICE Brighton Park shooting
The Chicago Police Department on Friday released 13 heavily redacted body camera videos depicting the initial response to a crash and shooting in Brighton Park involving federal immigration agents …
www.chicagotribune.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:30 PM
The Chicago Police Department on Friday released 13 heavily redacted body camera videos depicting the initial response to a crash and shooting in Brighton Park involving federal immigration agents that ended in tear gas.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/c...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/c...
Reposted by Sam Charles
Two Chicago police officers who started a drunken daytime brawl at a Wrigleyville pizza restaurant in 2019 reached settlement agreements with the city that allowed them to keep their jobs after each served a one-year suspension. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/2...
2 Chicago cops who started drunken Wrigleyville brawl kept jobs after one-year suspensions
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability disclosed both officers were recommended to be separated from CPD the city later agreed to let the men each serve a one-year suspension.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Two Chicago police officers who started a drunken daytime brawl at a Wrigleyville pizza restaurant in 2019 reached settlement agreements with the city that allowed them to keep their jobs after each served a one-year suspension. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/2...
Two Chicago police officers who started a drunken daytime brawl at a Wrigleyville pizza restaurant in 2019 reached settlement agreements with the city that allowed them to keep their jobs after each served a one-year suspension. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/2...
2 Chicago cops who started drunken Wrigleyville brawl kept jobs after one-year suspensions
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability disclosed both officers were recommended to be separated from CPD the city later agreed to let the men each serve a one-year suspension.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Two Chicago police officers who started a drunken daytime brawl at a Wrigleyville pizza restaurant in 2019 reached settlement agreements with the city that allowed them to keep their jobs after each served a one-year suspension. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/2...
A CPD sergeant has filed a federal lawsuit against the city — seeking class status to represent scores of CPD officers — alleging CPD’s internal affairs improperly pauses investigations when the same allegations are raised in litigation www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/07/c...
CPD sergeant sues city over discipline delays in internal affairs cases
A Chicago Police sergeant who was sexually harassed by her former supervisor has filed a federal lawsuit against the city — seeking class status to represent scores of CPD officers — alleging CPD’s…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
A CPD sergeant has filed a federal lawsuit against the city — seeking class status to represent scores of CPD officers — alleging CPD’s internal affairs improperly pauses investigations when the same allegations are raised in litigation www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/07/c...
‘The use of force shocks the conscience’: Judge issues sweeping injunction on Chicago tactics of immigration agents www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/06/o...
‘The use of force shocks the conscience’: Judge issues sweeping injunction on Chicago tactics of immigration agents
The incoming preliminary injunction replaces a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis in early October that was set to expire at 11:30 a.m.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:12 PM
‘The use of force shocks the conscience’: Judge issues sweeping injunction on Chicago tactics of immigration agents www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/06/o...
Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Wednesday said the use of tear gas by federal immigration agents has lessened after he spoke with leaders from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/t...
Border Patrol tear gas use involving cops down after talking with CPD, Snelling says
Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Wednesday said the use of tear gas by federal immigration agents has lessened after he spoke with leaders from Customs and Border Protection.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling on Wednesday said the use of tear gas by federal immigration agents has lessened after he spoke with leaders from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/t...
911 calls in Chicago are down sharply over the last two months since the start of "Operation Midway Blitz"
The decline is largest in Little Village www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
The decline is largest in Little Village www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
Operation Midway Blitz linked to dip in 911 calls, especially in Little Village
The rate of 911 calls made in Chicago has dropped precipitously in the two months since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, a Tribune review of city data found, and nowhere is the decrease more pr…
www.chicagotribune.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:32 PM
911 calls in Chicago are down sharply over the last two months since the start of "Operation Midway Blitz"
The decline is largest in Little Village www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
The decline is largest in Little Village www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/9...
Nanci Koschman, long-grieving mother, dies 21 years after her son was killed by Mayor Daley's nephew chicago.suntimes.com/koschman/202...
Nanci Koschman, long-grieving mother, dies 21 years after her son was killed by Mayor Daley's nephew
In the face of a Chicago police cover-up, she couldn't get answers until a Sun-Times investigation prompted the appointment of a special prosecutor and Richard J. "R.J." Vanecko's conviction.
chicago.suntimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Nanci Koschman, long-grieving mother, dies 21 years after her son was killed by Mayor Daley's nephew chicago.suntimes.com/koschman/202...
‘Not how any of us want to live’: Judge orders Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to appear in court every day to report any immigration enforcement incidents www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/28/j...
‘Not how any of us want to live’: Judge orders Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to appear in court every day to report any immigration enforcement incidents
A federal judge was taking Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino point by point through her temporary restraining order restricting the use of tear gas and other controversial tactics used by his age…
www.chicagotribune.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
‘Not how any of us want to live’: Judge orders Border Control Cmdr. Gregory Bovino to appear in court every day to report any immigration enforcement incidents www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/28/j...
Eight years after he was acquitted of a murder charge, a South Side drill rapper with close ties to Chicago musician Lil Durk was shot to death in Little Village over the weekend.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/27/t...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/27/t...
THF Bayzoo, associate of Lil Durk, killed in Little Village shooting
Eight years after he was acquitted of a murder charge, South Side drill rapper “THF Bayzoo,” who had close ties to Chicago musician Lil Durk, was shot to death in Little Village over the weekend.…
www.chicagotribune.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Eight years after he was acquitted of a murder charge, a South Side drill rapper with close ties to Chicago musician Lil Durk was shot to death in Little Village over the weekend.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/27/t...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/27/t...
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino accused of violating judge’s order by throwing tear gas at crowd in Little Village Thursday www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/23/f...
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino accused of violating judge’s order by throwing tear gas at crowd in Little Village Thursday
Federal immigration officials were in Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side Thursday for the second time in two days.
www.chicagotribune.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino accused of violating judge’s order by throwing tear gas at crowd in Little Village Thursday www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/23/f...
NEW: Chicago police release redacted video of peripheral role in controversial South Shore immigration raid www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/17/s...
Chicago police release redacted video of peripheral role in controversial South Shore immigration raid
Newly released — though heavily redacted — video footage released by Chicago police sheds new light on the arrest of a U.S. citizen the night that federal immigration agents stormed a troubled Sout…
www.chicagotribune.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:48 PM
NEW: Chicago police release redacted video of peripheral role in controversial South Shore immigration raid www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/17/s...
Community leaders from the city’s East Side neighborhood gathered Wednesday morning to denounce the actions of federal agents who deployed tear gas canisters on a residential street after a pursuit and vehicle crash. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/15/l...
Local leaders call press conference to decry East Side tear gas response by immigration agents
Community leaders from the city’s East Side neighborhood gathered Wednesday morning to denounce the actions of federal agents who deployed tear gas canisters on a residential street after a pursuit…
www.chicagotribune.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Community leaders from the city’s East Side neighborhood gathered Wednesday morning to denounce the actions of federal agents who deployed tear gas canisters on a residential street after a pursuit and vehicle crash. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/15/l...
Federal agents deploy tear gas following East Side traffic crash www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/14/i...
Federal agents deploy tear gas following East Side traffic crash
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers deployed tear gas on the Far South Side Tuesday to quell a clash with residents who demanded the enforcement officers leave the neighborhood, witnesses …
www.chicagotribune.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Federal agents deploy tear gas following East Side traffic crash www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/14/i...