The Chicago Police Department has begun reviewing whether officers have been properly executing search warrants.
In the first wave of audits, 39 search warrants were checked to see if they were filled out according to department rules.
The Internal Affairs Division will check those warrants against citizen complaints to see if any involved allegations of police misconduct, said Frank Limon, acting deputy superintendent of the Bureau of Crime Strategy and Accountability.
"This kind of activity -- entering homes and seizing property -- is very important to measure," Limon said.
Several recent scandals have put a spotlight on the integrity of search warrants.
Last year, for example, Jerome Finnigan and fellow Special Operations Section officers were arrested in a series of robberies, kidnappings and home invasions. Prosecutors have since been told to drop any cases in which those officers signed a search warrant.
Earlier this month, interim Police Supt. Dana Starks also started surveying callers to the city's 311 line to see if they were treated properly by officers taking their calls.
In auditing the first of the search warrants that will be checked, inspectors focused on 39 warrants obtained in July by the city's gang and gun teams.
Twenty-five led to arrests and 33 resulted in seized property.
Next, auditors plan to look at warrants involving other arms of the department -- such as the detective division and organized crime division, Limon said.
