Urgent Recommendations on the Chicago Police Department’s Search Warrant Policies
Summary
The Public Safety section has been conducting an inquiry into CPD’s execution of search warrants, focusing on the accuracy of the addresses at which they are located. That inquiry is a long-term one and remains ongoing.
Executive Summary
In light of the urgent need to prevent serious harm to Chicagoans in the execution of search warrants at the wrong addresses, and in recognition of pressing public concern around these issues, OIG has issued preliminary findings and recommendations to CPD while the larger programmatic inquiry continues.
Specifically, OIG found that CPD’s directive on search warrants leaves gaps in CPD members’ obligations to verify and corroborate the information upon which they rely in seeking a search warrant. Further, OIG found that the circumstances under which a CPD supervisor must initiate a disciplinary investigation following a problematic search warrant execution are too narrow.
Consequently, OIG recommended that CPD modify its directive on search warrants to require verification and corroboration of information in all circumstances and broaden the circumstances in which supervisors must initiate an investigation to determine whether discipline is necessary and appropriate when a search warrant execution goes wrong.
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