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The City of Chicago spent more than $210 million for police misconduct lawsuits from 2012 to 2015, according to a Chicago Reporter analysis. The Police Department exceeded its annual budget for lawsuits by almost $50 million, on average, in each of those years. Yet, unlike some other major cities, Chicago doesn't analyze the lawsuits for trends, identify the officers most frequently sued, or determine ways to reduce both the cost of the cases and officer misconduct. Rather than rein in the practices that lead to these settlements, officials have borrowed millions to pay for police lawsuits, adding to the city's crippling debt.