Judge Brocton Lockwood wore a wire for the FBI to help clean up a corrupt Chicago traffic court.
In 1978 newly appointed Associate Judge Lockwood reported to Chicago to fulfill the obligation all southern Illinois judges have to serve six weeks each year to reduce the backlog in the Cook County system.
Corruption so pervaded traffic court that Lockwood, who at first merely wanted to complete his Cook County stint and go home, was moved to contact the FBI: "As the time for our meeting approached, I brooded on the potential for leaks. I created all kinds of worrisome scenarios that kept me awake at night."
Once committed, Lockwood (codename Winston) had to fight not only a corrupt system and his own fears but also frustration engendered by official timidity and the grindingly slow bureaucracy of the FBI. "My spy duties seemed extremely dull and tedious 99 percent of the time; the other 1 percent was filled with terror." The story is exciting, it is true, it put criminals behind bars, and it effected changes in the Cook County court system.
Brocton Lockwood resigned his judgeship after Operation Greylord. He currently practices law in Marion, Illinois.
