State & Local Reports

The Public Safety section of the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed a follow-up inquiry of its February 2021 review of “Chicago’s Response to George Floyd Protests and Unrest.” In its February 2021 report, OIG found that despite advance information signaling the planning of large-scale public protest gatherings following the murder of George Floyd, the Chicago Police Department was under-equipped and unprepared to respond to the scale of the protests and unrest in the downtown area and across Chicago’s neighborhoods from May 29 through June 7, 2020. OIG identified failures within intelligence assessment, major event planning, field communication and operation, administrative systems, and, most significantly, from CPD’s senior leadership.

This quarterly report provides an overview of the operations of the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) from January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024, and includes information required by the Municipal Code of Chicago.

Civil asset forfeiture is a legal tool that allows police agencies to seize and forfeit (retain) property believed to be involved in or the proceeds of a crime. While property owners may file a claim to recover it, a performance audit in Washington found police agencies retained up to 90 percent of such property. This totaled nearly $40 million in forfeitures from January 2020 through December 2022. This published report examined eight police agencies to better understand forfeitures in the state, and included recommendations to strengthen transparency and protections for property owners.