Timothy Lavery is the ICJIA research director. Tim has over 20 years of experience gaining insights from criminal justice data. His areas of expertise include police violence prevention strategies, police oversight and reform, and restorative justice programs. Tim has spent most of his professional career working at the Chicago Police Department (CPD) where, for the past three years, he supervised an analytic team devoted to providing data and information to inform CPD’s ongoing reform process. In this capacity, he advised on CPD use of force policy and helped improve public information on complaints against police. He also served on the CPD Tableau Center of Practice management team, shaping key business intelligence metrics and providing data support to new Tableau users.
Tim has a master’s degree in social psychology and a doctorate of philosophy in criminology, law, and justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is working toward a master’s degree in information technology at Virginia Tech University.
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The Research & Analysis Unit serves as Illinois’ Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). State SACs provide objective analysis of criminal justice data for informing statewide policy and practice. The Illinois SAC is affiliated with and supported by the Justice Research and Statistics Association, a national nonprofit organization that promotes collaboration and exchange of information among state SACs, and acts as a liaison between state agencies and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act, 20 ILCS 3930/7.9, created the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force. The Task Force is charged with identifying, reviewing, and addressing gaps in firearm prohibitor reporting. An annual report is to be submitted to the Illinois General Assembly until 2027.
Per 20 ILCS 3930/7.9, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is required to convene the Firearm Prohibitors and Records Improvement Task Force to identify gaps in firearm prohibitor data collection and reporting. A firearm prohibitor is any factor that prevents a person from the possession or transfer of a firearm or firearm ammunition. This Task Force is to produce an annual report through 2027.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority is required by both Illinois state legislation (730 ILCS 210/) and federal legislation (34 U.S.C. § 60105) to collect, report, and publish specific data on deaths that occur among individuals in custody of Illinois local and state law enforcement agencies or as a result of an officer’s use of force. This report summarizes the relevant trends related to Illinois in-custody deaths through the 2022 calendar year.
Racial profiling in traffic and pedestrian stops is a major concern for the public and advocacy groups. In order to better understand stops and searches occurring in Illinois, the Illinois legislature passed the Illinois Traffic and Pedestrian Stop Statistical Study Act requiring police officers to record demographic and stop data for those pulled over. In addition, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority was named to convene a Task Force to review the methods for compiling and analyzing this data. This article provides a brief summary of suggestions to enhance how traffic and pedestrian stop data are used in the state. An attached full report provides more detail on the 19 total recommendations developed by the Task Force. Although it is recognized that the needs of communities and law enforcement may ultimately differ, improving the quality of criminal justice data is a first step in restoring trust in law enforcement.