On Tuesday, CJP filed a request with the Office of the Inspector General for the City of Chicago, requesting that their office audit the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to determine if the CPD’s response to requests under Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act complies with the law.

We also requested that the OIG pay special attention to the all-too-common practice of the CPD denying that records exist or are exempt from disclosure, only to have the Cook County Circuit Court order the CPD to not only release the documents but also pay the plaintiff’s legal fees. A very costly expense for taxpayers to pay when fees are the result of nothing more than the decades-old institutional practice of cover-up that is still alive and well within the organization.

We will see what happens as a result of this request.

This audit will help shed light on whether the CPD’s dismal performance in responding to these requests is mainly due to purposeful efforts within the organization or if poor management plays a significant role. The OIG has documented in reports just how bad the administrative apparatus is within the CPD. The organization spends way too much time putting out fires related to political & media pressure about crime and violence in Chicago, to ever address the sorry shape of their internal management. It just has not been prioritized. On the other hand, the CPD as an institution benefits from mismanagement because if they cannot know something because they fail to collect the necessary data or organize their record-keeping, then they cannot be blamed for not knowing and addressing the problems.

The manipulation of data and the hiding of records is an institution-wide problem. One that can only be countered by the CPD being forced to live up to their obligations under the FOIA Act.

We will keep you updated on any developments we receive from the OIG regarding our request.

Listen to Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzberg on CJP’s podcast.