What The CBS 2 Investigators Uncovered In 2020
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As we close out 2020 – a challenging year unlike anything we've seen before – we wanted to take a moment to focus on why what we do matters.
Here is a look at some of the CBS 2 Investigations that created real change in our community this year.
Getting Hosed: One Woman Gets Hosed And Bulldozed By The City
Camella Batten is retired, she's fought cancer, and she's scared of COVID-19. But her biggest obstacle was the City of Chicago. When we initially sat down with her, she told us she had been paying $120 each month for a house she had not lived in for more than nine years, and the city's archaic billing system even kept billing her for water after that house was torn down without any notification. The 72-year-old Ms. Batten's bills continued to pile up until CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards got involved.
Accused Serial Con Artist Candace Clark Arrested
In January, accused serial con artist Candace Clark was arrested, following a series of CBS 2 investigations. CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker had been following Clark and found that she has been involved in several elaborate scams that have cost people across Chicago tens of thousands of dollars. She was accused of ripping off everyone from seniors to millionaires.
Names, Private Information Of Child Sex Crime Victims Were Illegally Made Public In Cook County Court Records
Cook County officials left the personal information of child sex crime victims in public court records, violating a state law that requires those details be kept hidden. The person charged with protecting those victims' privacy in the records, Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, refused to restrict access to them for more than a month after being told about the problem.
The information, which CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards found in numerous cases, is sensitive: full names, home addresses, phone numbers, and other details for children as young as 5 years old who were sexually assaulted. Brown's office only sealed the records CBS 2 found after the Cook County Chief Judge's office and State's Attorney's office stepped in. State's Attorney Kim Foxx threatened to sue Brown over her inaction, according to a letter obtained by CBS 2.
Why Does Illinois' Unemployment System Keep Failing So Many People? A Quest For Answers
With so many out of work amid the coronavirus pandemic, Illinois' unemployment kept on Failing – with a capital F – many people. CBS 2 Investigator Dorothy Tucker set out to get the answers taxpayers deserve from top managers at the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
'You Have the Wrong Place:' Body Camera Video Shows Moments Police Handcuff Innocent, Naked Woman During Wrong Raid
It's made national headlines, embroiled city government in controversy, and sparked demands for change – on Monday, Dec. 14, CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini exposed police body camera video of what Anjanette Young had said happened to her in February of 2019. Police officers wrongly entered her home with guns drawn and handcuffed her naked as she watched in horror.
Last year, Anjanette Young filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the video to show the public what happened to her that day. CBS 2 also filed a request for the video. But the Chicago Police Department denied the requests Young finally obtained the footage after a court forced CPD to turn it over as part of her lawsuit against police.
Hours before the TV version of this report broadcast, the city's lawyers attempted to stop CBS 2 from airing the video by filing an emergency motion in federal court. A judge denied the motion while the report was being broadcast.
It's made national headlines, embroiled city government in controversy, and sparked demands for change – on Monday, Dec. 14, CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini exposed police body camera video of what Anjanette Young had said happened to her in February of 2019. Police officers wrongly entered her home with guns drawn and handcuffed her naked as she watched in horror.
Hours before the TV version of the report broadcast, the city's lawyers attempted to stop CBS 2 from airing the video by filing an emergency motion in federal court. A judge denied the motion while the report was being broadcast.
Since the story first aired, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has apologized to Young, and three officials from the Department of Law are out, among other developments. Meanwhile just Wednesday, Dec. 30, City Hall released 150 pages of emails and documents about the Young case, including what the mayor was told and when. The emails confirmed Mayor Lightfoot had been informed of the situation back in November 2019.
Mayor Lightfoot also met with Young for the first time on Thursday, Dec. 31.
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- Friends, Family Believe Transgender Woman Found Shot To Death In East Chatham Was Killed In Hate Crime
- More Than 500 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Thrown Away After Wisconsin Hospital Worker Intentionally Removes Vials From Refrigerator, Hospital Says