Illinois Attorney General findings on Joliet police: discrimination, disability and force

What the investigation was

On September 8, 2021, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General opened a civil "pattern or practice" investigation into the Joliet Police Department (JPD). It examined the department as a whole, not a single incident or officer. The findings were published on December 12, 2024 at jolietpolicing.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.

The office states that JPD and the City of Joliet cooperated and provided access to files, data and staff, and that many officers serve with professionalism, dedication and courage.

The report names the January 2020 death in custody of Eric Lurry as a catalyst. After video of the incident became public in June 2020, then-mayor Robert O'Dekirk and several City Council members asked the office to investigate.

The findings at a glance

The Attorney General's office states it has reasonable cause to believe that JPD engages in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the U.S. Constitution, federal law and state law:

- Unreasonable force, including tasers and head strikes, in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
- Inadequate crisis intervention that contributes to unreasonable force against people with behavioral health disabilities.
- Race discrimination against Black people, and concerns about discrimination against Latino people, under the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) and Illinois Civil Rights Act (ICRA).
- Sex discrimination in the response to sexual assault, and serious concerns about the response to domestic violence.
- Accountability failures that directly contributed to these patterns, plus gaps in policy, training, supervision, data and record-keeping.

Treatment of people with disabilities

JPD conservatively estimates that at least 9% of its roughly 80,000 yearly calls for service involve a person with a behavioral health disability. The report finds JPD's crisis intervention practices are not adequate to prevent unlawful force against these residents.

What the report found:

- JPD trained a substantial share of officers in Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) methods but was not effectively sending those officers to behavioral health crises.
- The report describes three encounters over two weeks in 2020 with a man living with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Each involved force the office found excessive, including repeated taser use while he lay on the ground and punches, for at most minor offenses.
- In another 2020 call, a suicidal man in crisis was punched in the face three times while on the ground; no crime was alleged and no weapon was involved.
- Officers in these encounters did not use de-escalation, and the report saw no follow-up to connect the man with services.

The laws involved. Force is judged under the Fourth Amendment. The report also frames its recommendations around the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II), the IHRA and the Illinois Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA). It makes no finding on whether JPD violated the ADA, CESSA or the IHRA in crisis response.

Progress the report credits. JPD has begun moving toward a CIT model and supports a co-responder approach with Will County and mental health providers.

Race discrimination: what the data shows

A University of Chicago research organization analyzed JPD's own data. For traffic stops from 2019 through 2023 (about 38,000 stops), it compared drivers matched on factors such as location, time and reason for the stop.

- Vehicle searches: 14.3% of Black drivers vs. 7.9% of similar White drivers (about 843 additional searches). Hispanic drivers: 9.2% vs. 7.7%.
- Driver or passenger searches: 10.2% for Black drivers vs. 5.7% for similar White drivers.
- Arrests during stops (not counting warrants): 10.5% of Black drivers vs. 7.1% of similar White drivers (about 448 additional arrests).
- Two or more citations: 29.2% of Black drivers and 26.2% of Hispanic drivers vs. about 22% of similar White drivers.
- Minor violations like a plate light or turn signal showed the same search gap: 14.7% vs. 7.8%.

The report also cites racially derogatory language toward the public and within JPD, and failures to hold officers accountable for biased conduct. It notes the full scope is unknown because JPD did not consistently collect some data, such as pedestrian stops.

Sex discrimination: sexual assault and domestic violence

The office found reasonable cause to believe JPD discriminates against women in its sexual assault response, describing skepticism and hostility toward survivors and investigations that often failed to collect important evidence. On domestic violence, it raised serious concerns: condescension toward survivors, detectives rarely investigating, and some survivors treated as at fault.

Accountability

The report finds JPD's accountability systems fail to adequately detect, investigate, respond to and document misconduct. Internal Affairs is staffed by a sergeant and a lieutenant, and complaints classified as informal typically receive little or no fact-finding. The report links these failures to the other patterns above.

What "reasonable cause" means

These are civil findings about the department's practices, not criminal charges or verdicts against any officer. The report includes recommendations. The City of Joliet published its own response on December 12, 2024, disputing parts of the report and describing policy changes, training and body cameras. Read both with their dates.

How to engage

- Read it yourself. The full report is free in English and Spanish.
- Follow City Council. Police policy and budget decisions happen in public meetings. See our public comment guide.
- Report misconduct. Concerns can go to the Illinois Attorney General's Civil Rights Bureau.
- Mental health crisis? Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 for an emergency.

This guide summarizes public government records for community education. It is not legal advice. Check the original report for exact wording.