Brickbat: Suspicious Minds

The Chicago Police Department has apologized after a local newspaper reported it had been running background checks on people who speak at meetings of the Chicago Police Board. Cops have been searching not only police databases, looking for outstanding warrants and criminal history, but also the social media accounts of speakers. They had been doing this since at least 2013. In a statement, the department apologized for "any mistrust that this practice may have caused."