State & Local Reports

The Public Safety Section of the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has concluded a review of the Chicago Police Department’s gang-related data, commonly referred to by the public as the “gang database.” OIG found that while the Chicago Police Department (CPD or the “Department”) deploys a host of strategies, tactics, and technology in relation to gangs, it does not have a unified, stand-alone “gang database” as publicly perceived. Instead, the Department collects and stores information on individual and geographic gang involvement through a multitude of internal databases, forms, visualization tools, and repositories. CPD also receives gang-related data generated by external agencies. Therefore, any effort to address public concern over the purpose and practices associated with the Department’s collection and use of gang information must begin with an accurate understanding of the various components and current technological limitations. OIG’s review further found that: 1) CPD lacks sufficient controls for generating, maintaining, and sharing gang-related data; 2) CPD’s gang information practices lack procedural fairness protections; 3) CPD’s gang designations raise significant data quality concerns; and 4) CPD’s practices and lack of transparency regarding its gang designations strain police-community relations.

Our office performs ongoing data analysis and financial monitoring activities in order to continuously evaluate the State’s systems of internal controls. During previous engagements, we identified issues regarding the use and monitoring of State purchasing credit cards (PCards).The PCard program is intended to be a cost effective method to purchase and pay for small dollar transactions. The State receives rebates that can provide additional funding during times when resources are shrinking, while also avoiding costs by issuing payments directly to vendors.We observed patterns of spending, which indicated that certain agencies and school districts incurred minimal PCard use, potentially missing rebate opportunities. We reported this observation to the Financial Services section of Governor Carney’s Government Efficiency and Accountability Review Board (GEAR). Internal control findings were communicated directly to the agency or school district initiating the transaction.