A Firm You Can Rely On In Complex Cases

Illinois Police Racial Profiling Lawyers

In the Chicago area, attorneys at The Sotos Law Firm have defended many cases involving accusations against government agencies and law enforcement personnel for using racial profiling in their fight against crime. Racial profiling is the targeting of minorities disproportionately for investigation and enforcement of the law.

Profiling is an often used and long-established law enforcement tactic, and is considered to be as much art as it is science. Racial profiling has a much more cynical connotation that insinuates a particular bias toward a race or ethnicity. Accusations of racial discrimination require the accuser to prove that an officer intended to discriminate against him based on race.

Two of our previous cases involved class-action suits against the City of Chicago and the suburban Village of Mount Prospect accusing police officers of using racial profiling in pedestrian and traffic stops. Several other cases we have handled on behalf of several municipalities involved claims of racial profiling resulting in employment discrimination. These cases required rigorous independent investigations and defense strategies to obtain positive results.

In today’s political climate, police racial profiling is also a hot topic in the press, and although it is difficult to prove and media reports are often dramatically overstated, it does not stop people from making such claims. We have more experience in defending claims of racial profiling, in guiding government entities through high-profile accusations of racial profiling, in conducting training on racial profiling and conducting independent investigations into claims of racial profiling, than virtually any law firm in the State of Illinois.

Many police departments across the country have been subjected to racial profiling investigations and lawsuits by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. These investigations can be intrusive and disruptive of department operations, and generally include allegations of widespread civil rights violations and racial profiling. Our experience in the arena of racial profiling includes guiding government entities through the thicket of such federal investigations in order to deal with the interference caused by the investigation effectively, reach a satisfactory resolution of the federal government’s claims, and allow the department to emerge from the investigation with its reputation not only preserved, but enhanced.

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Accusations of racial profiling can be complicated and require lawyers experienced in defending civil rights claims to properly investigate and defend against the accusations. Contact The Sotos Law Firm for a no-obligation, confidential consultation to discuss your case.