A federal jury awarded $262,500 to Josh Watson, a former Village of Lynwood employee, in a lawsuit alleging he was fired after reporting that Mayor Jada Curry misused a state police database to check a resident seeking a liquor license. Watson sued Curry and the village, saying his employment ended during a meeting in which he was questioned about raising the concern.
According to WGN-TV, the lawsuit accused Curry of instructing another village employee to run a full background check on the resident using LEADS, the state's law enforcement database. Watson said Curry had been told the database could not be used for that purpose but directed the employee to access it anyway in 2022. The resident at the center of the search had simply applied for a liquor license in the village.
Watson said he reported the alleged database access to the Illinois State Police. The lawsuit says he was let go soon afterward, during a meeting with Curry. According to the complaint, Curry asked whether she was entitled to have a background check done on someone opening a business in town before Watson was dismissed.
Village Disputes the Reason for the Firing
The village has maintained that Watson’s position was eliminated for economic reasons, not because he raised concerns about the database search, and has denied terminating him unlawfully. It also said it has not filled the position in the 4.5 years since he was let go. Curry did not respond to a request for comment from the station.
How LEADS use is audited
The Illinois State Police says its CJIS audit program includes LEADS administrative and record-review audits, among other audit types. That description identifies audit mechanisms, but the information cited here does not specify which noncriminal-justice searches are permissible or what sanctions apply to misuse, according to the Illinois State Police.
The trial and verdict took place shortly before WGN-TV published its report.
Part of a Wider Fight Over Police Surveillance Tools
WGN-TV also described a separate suburban debate over Flock license-plate cameras. Some communities have ended contracts with the company, and law-enforcement personnel have been disciplined for personal use of the cameras, including tracking former romantic partners. Other communities have said the cameras remain useful for solving crimes.
The case concerns access to a state-run database rather than a private camera network. The available reporting did not address whether other Lynwood officials or employees faced consequences over the alleged search.
