Editing LaSalle County, Illinois (section)

==Legal and Law Enforcement Issues==
In 2013, a [[class-action]] lawsuit was filed against the LaSalle County Jail, alleging that staff forcibly stripped and videotaped detainees without legal justification.<ref>{{cite news |title=Class-Action Suit Claims More LaSalle County Jail Abuse |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/class-action-suit-claims-more-lasalle-county-jail-abuse/1967425/ |work=NBC Chicago |date=2013 |access-date=April 9, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=More suits filed over LaSalle County lockup abuse allegations |url=https://wgntv.com/news/more-suits-filed-over-lasalle-county-lockup-abuse-allegations/ |work=WGN News |access-date=April 9, 2025}}</ref> Sheriff Thomas Templeton, who oversaw the jail at the time, stated in a [[Deposition (law)| deposition]] that the practice was a "procedure" rather than a written policy and had occurred for decades.<ref name="ABC72014">{{cite news |title=LaSalle County Jail strip-search lawsuit settled |url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/9495500/ |work=ABC7 |date=April 8, 2014|access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref> Plaintiffs argued the actions violated [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|constitutional protections against unreasonable searches]]. CBS Chicago aired footage showing one such incident, which was cited in court filings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Woman Sues Sheriff Over 2017 Strip Search |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkVae1bl4-o |website=YouTube |publisher=CBS Chicago |date=Jan 16, 2019 |access-date=April 9, 2025}}</ref> In 2014, the county settled a lawsuit for $355,000 involving five women who reported being forcibly stripped. The county's attorney stated the deputies had followed their training and that no charges were expected.<ref name="ABC72014"/> 

In 2019, a former U.S. Marine filed another lawsuit against the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office, again naming Sheriff Thomas Templeton,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Former Marine Accuses LaSalle County Sheriff Of Illegal Strip Search; Incident Caught On Video |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/zandrea-askew-strip-search-lawsuit-lasalle-county-sheriff-excessive-force/ |work=CBS News |date=Jan 16, 2019 |access-date=2025-04-12}}</ref> alleging she was forcibly strip-searched after being arrested despite passing a [[Field sobriety testing| field sobriety test]]. The woman had the charges against her later dismissed, and her attorney argued the search was used as a form of punishment. The lawsuit also alleged deputies attempted to delete surveillance footage of the incident. This case was cited as further evidence of an ongoing pattern of unconstitutional searches by the department.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Black woman ex-Marine sues Illinois sheriff after degrading, terrifying, illegal strip search |url=https://thegrio.com/2019/01/17/watch-black-woman-marine-sues-illinois-sheriff-after-degrading-terrifying-illegal-strip-search/ |work=The grio |date=Jan 17, 2019 |access-date=2025-04-12}}</ref>

In 2020, former LaSalle County [[district attorney]] Karen Donnelly and other officials were named in a federal lawsuit alleging [[malicious prosecution]] and [[False evidence |fabrication of evidence]] in a homicide case. The complaint claimed that authorities pursued charges despite contradictory [[Forensic science |forensic]] findings, and alleged that officials withheld exculpatory information while relying on discredited theories.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ken Cusick Sues Karen Donnelly, Others |url=https://www.starvedrock.media/wlpo/ken-cusick-sues-karen-donnelly-others-in-federal-court/article_deef6012-09b9-11eb-bf74-ab9b52e5e9b6.html |work=Starved Rock Media |date=Oct 8, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Man Sues State’s Attorney Karen Donnelly and Ottawa Police Department Officers Who Tried to Frame Him |url=https://www.loevy.com/man-sues-states-attorney-karen-donnelly-and-ottawa-police-department-officers-who-tried-to-frame-him/ |work=Loevy & Loevy |date=Oct 8, 2020 |access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref> The case was settled in 2023, with the terms of the settlement undisclosed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cusick settles with accusers after 2019 acquittal |url=https://www.shawlocal.com/mywebtimes/2023/05/24/cusick-settles-with-former-accusers-after-2019-acquittal/ |work=Shaw Local |date=May 23, 2023 |access-date=April 12, 2025}}</ref>

In 2021, a video surfaced showing a LaSalle County Sheriff’s deputy Jim Knoblauch, the former police chief of [[Oglesby, Illinois|Oglesby]], playing [[copyright |copyrighted]] music while being filmed by a citizen.<ref>{{cite web |title=It Sure Looks Like This Cop Played Country Music to Avoid Being Filmed |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/it-sure-looks-like-this-cop-played-country-music-to-avoid-being-filmed/ |website=Vice |date=March 2, 2021 |access-date=April 9, 2025}}</ref> The apparent intent was to trigger copyright filters on social media platforms to prevent the video from being shared. The incident was criticized by [[digital rights]] advocates as an attempt to suppress public documentation of [[Police misconduct |police conduct]]. In his incident report, Knoblauch stated that he had been advised to use music in such situations—a tactic that some critics interpreted as an effort to avoid public scrutiny.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cop Was Instructed to Use Music to Disrupt Filming |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/cop-was-instructed-to-use-music-to-disrupt-filming/ |website=Vice |date=September 9, 2021 |access-date=April 9, 2025}}</ref>