The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Public Safety section has issued a second interim report on the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) execution of search warrants, examining data on search warrants issued from 2017 to 2020. OIG aims to better equip stakeholders––to the extent feasible given the quality of CPD’s data––with clear and accurate information during the ongoing public conversation and policy debate respecting improvements to CPD’s search warrant policy and practices.
CPD’s use of search warrants, particularly for residences, has been declining since late 2019. OIG’s analysis of CPD’s data further reveals the following information, which might serve to inform efforts of the Department and other stakeholders to improve policies and practices:
“This report is the second installment in the Public Safety section’s ongoing work on CPD’s search warrant practices and policies. Here, we look specifically at CPD’s data—what it tells us and what it doesn’t—regarding recent search warrants in order to better inform the ongoing policy debate and public conversation around the use of these warrants. CPD and members of the community are best served by a well-informed and productive reform process, and we hope to contribute to that process by providing accessible data as a platform for effective policy change,” said Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety Deborah Witzburg. “We are encouraged by CPD’s agreement with the recommendations we made in our first interim report earlier this year, and we will continue our work in this critical area.”
The full report can be found on OIG’s website: bit.ly/SearchWarrantData.
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The mission of the independent and non-partisan City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in City government. OIG is a watchdog for the taxpayers of the City and has jurisdiction to conduct investigations and audits into most aspects of City government. If you see corruption, fraud, or waste of any kind, we need to hear from you. For more information, visit our website at: igchicago.org