Recommendation to Reopen Chicago Police Department Misconduct Investigation

Executive Summary

Pursuant to the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC) § 2-56-230(c)(ii), the Public Safety section of the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts reviews of individual closed disciplinary investigations conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA). Based on those reviews, OIG may recommend that the investigating agency reopen the investigation to address deficiencies materially affecting its outcome.

OIG found BIA’s investigation for log number: 2023-0004935 to suffer from deficiencies materially affecting its outcome.

OIG found BIA’s investigation to suffer from deficiencies materially affecting its outcome. Specifically, BIA conducted deficient interviews, failed to conduct an additional investigative step, and failed to document an analysis of whether association with or membership in the Oath Keepers may have brought discredit upon the Department or failed to promote the Department’s efforts to implement its policy or accomplish its goals, in violation of CPD’s Rules of Conduct.

OIG recommended that CPD take whatever procedural steps available to it to remedy these deficiencies; CPD declined to do so.