December 9, 2025
A note from reporter María Inés Zamudio:
Last week, we published the second installment in our investigative series into sexual assault and misconduct complaints lodged against Chicago Police Officers.
We featured two Chicago police officers who were investigated for sexual misconduct — then promoted. Sgt. Ernesto Guzman-Sanchez was accused of spreading a nude photo of a woman he knew. And Sgt. Christopher Lockhart was found responsible for acts of domestic violence and sexual assault. Investigators with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended the officer be fired. Guzman-Sanchez negotiated a one year suspension while Lockhart’s case is still pending. Both were promoted in the Spring in spite of their disciplinary records. The officers denied allegations to investigators and did not respond to requests for comment.
The promotions were not an oversight. Despite a decades-long reform effort, the Chicago Police Department rarely considers disciplinary records when promoting officers. About 70% of promotions are determined based solely on how officers score on an exam.
This reporting is a collaboration with ProPublica and you can read the story on their website. The story was also co-published with the Chicago Sun-Times.
CPD declined to comment for this story. But, during an August hearing, Superintendent Larry Snelling said discipline should be considered during the promotions process. In a statement, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he plans to work with Snelling and prioritize reforming policies.
“We must take a close look at the current promotion policies and make the necessary reforms so that we are promoting the best of our officers to set a strong example,” the mayor said.
Our team is continuing to review investigative files. This reporting would not be possible without previous litigation to allow disciplinary records to be open to the public. Those lawsuits include Bond v. Uterus, Green v. Chicago Police Department and Kalven v. Chicago, which was brought by Jamie Kalven, our founder, and led to the publishing of police misconduct complaints on the Civic Police Data Project site.
We’re continuing to report on this issue. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or misconduct by Chicago Police, we want hear from you. You can call me at (312) 434-0916.
Stay tuned for more reporting in the series in 2026.
María Inés Zamudio
Investigative Reporter