HRB CHANGES COMMUNITY POLICING
Police officer misconduct is a growing problem in the United States and is often unchecked. The attorneys at Horwitz, Richardson & Baker have been working hard to stop police misconduct in the community and have been successful. In many of our cases, the police department has ended their wrongful actions, directly as a result of the litigation we filed. Below are some noteworthy cases demonstrating the change:

Police Prostitution Sting Stopped after HRB files Class Action
Anderson, et al. v. Village of Stone Park, et al., 05 C 5474
Beginning in 2001, at least 900 men have been falsely arrested and fined because of an illegal sting operation set up by the Stone Park Police Department. In Stone Park, a female undercover police officer would walk up to men who were innocently washing their cars (at a car wash) and solicit them. Although the men unwaveringly denied the undercover officer and drove away, they were pulled over down the road, arrested, and heavily fined. This was a highly profitable sting operation, bringing large revenues into the Village for the fines paid by the wrongly-accused men.

Blake Horwitz, a partner at Horwitz, Richardson & Baker, became aware of the unlawful actions of the Village and Police Department, filed a lawsuit and notified the press. The public became aware, through the lawsuit and communication to several news organizations, of what the police and Village were doing. As a result, the seven-year lucrative operation ceased and men are no longer falsely arrested for solicitation.

Police Barricades around Community Make Residents Feel like Prisoners
Sparks, et al. v. The City of Rolling Meadows, et al., 08 C 3462
A lawsuit filed by Horwitz, Richardson & Baker forced the police to take down barriers they were placed around a large community in Rolling Meadows. The community is a 34-acre property, home to more than 2,000 residents. The City of Rolling Meadows police department arbitrarily determined that it needed to barricade the plaintiffs’ property, without providing the owner of the property or the residents an opportunity to object. Barricades were placed at twelve of the thirteen entrances and exits, and police monitored the only open entrance/exit.

The property owner, outraged by the violation of his constitutional rights, immediately retained HRB to file a lawsuit on his behalf. The attorneys at HRB immediately filed a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order. Hours before the hearing, the City buckled and removed the barricades. The barricades have not been returned and the attorneys of HRB are now in the process of seeking a permanent injunction.

Twelve Lawsuits Filed in One Day
The community of the City of Blue Island, nearly 40% Hispanic, was outraged by the rise in police brutality, including instances of false arrest, malicious prosecution, and excessive force. Twelve individuals retained Blake Horwitz, to represent them in their lawsuits. All of the individuals alleged that the police officers engaged in police misconduct. Twelve lawsuits were filed in one day against the City of Blue Island and the Blue Island Police Department. After this rapid action, the community now claims a profound reduction in police misconduct.