Number	22818
Subject	Murders
Source	WBBM-TV (Chicago)
State	IL
Year	2006
Publication Date	11/13/2006; 11/14/2006; 11/16/2006
Summary	Murder rates in Chicago have been reduced, with the city citing better police tactics. But a WBBM-TV investigation found that that "the department may be reducing its murder rate by hiding homicides by downgrading murders." They uncovered dozens of cases where cause of death was, for instance, indicated as "Non-Criminal death or Death Investigation," though the victim showed clear signs of having been strangled. This included a particular case where the official cause of death was a heart attack, but the pathologist determined that strangulation was the true culprit. The results of the investigation put the police department at odds with the Medical Examiner's office.
Category	Contest Finalist
Pages	11
Keywords	Muder; homicide; police; murder rates; false autopsy report; cause of death
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