During his tenure with the Markham Police Department in the 1990s, Timothy Tyler was named in three federal civil rights lawsuits. One lawsuit accused him of soliciting a nightclub owner for cash in exchange for police protection and, upon refusal, conspiring with city officials to shut down the nightclub. Another lawsuit alleged that Tyler pressured a citizen into apologizing to an officer for a false arrest. The third lawsuit accused him of excessive force and false arrest, which was settled out of court. ([publici.ucimc.org](https://publici.ucimc.org/2024/04/champaign-hired-police-chief-timothy-tyler-despite-disciplinary-past-and-allegations-of-misconduct-print-version/?utm_source=openai))
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