Chicago police warrant policy changes proposed in wake of botched Anjanette Young raid
Anjanette Young Ordinance proposed to City Council last month
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Changes are in the works for the Chicago Police Department after a botched raid on a woman's home where she was handcuffed naked.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown laid out new policies for how police execute search warrants on Wednesday.
The new policies will involve a lot more oversight and accountability, with the goal of preventing bad raids that have given the police department a black eye and forced the mayor to fight to regain public trust.
The mistaken raid on the home of Anjanette Young two years ago put the spotlight on how Chicago Police execute search warrants, what they do to make sure they don't storm the wrong home, and how they treat people once inside.
"That moment served as an abrupt but appropriate wake-up call to our entire city," Lightfoot said.
An ordinance named after the Chicago social worker whose home was wrongfully raided two years ago was introduced into Chicago City Council last month. Now, the police department is prepared to institute changes before, during and after every raid.
The new policy will require all search warrants be approved by a Deputy Chief or above, and there must be an independent investigation beforehand to verify information. During the raids, a lieutenant and a female officer must be present. Also, all officers must wear and activate their body-worn cameras.
"Each of these reforms was crafted for the sole purpose of ensuring that the rights and the basic human dignity of all Chicagoans, no matter what the circumstances, are respected and protected," Lightfoot said.
Young was left handcuffed naked for 40 minutes even after police realized they were in the wrong home.
Also under the new policy, police will limit no-knock searches to SWAT teams - and even those will be rare.
"There should be no officer who is hesitant that his or her work being is subjected to scrutiny by a supervisor, if that is the case, then it's probably a search warrant that never should be executed," Mayor Lightfoot said.
But Supt. Brown said at times, they may be needed.
"We're sworn to protect life, so if the circumstances present themselves that we have to make a quick entry to save someone's life - say someone's being murdered and we hear the cries and screams - we can't wait outside that door, wait for that offender to kill someone," Brown said.
The raid on Young's home happened before Lightfoot became mayor, but her administration fought the release of the video.
WATCH: Political analyst discusses warrant policy proposals
"The fact of the matter is that trust was no question shaken and I've been working diligently, personally, as has my team, as has the police department, to make sure that we're being responsive," Lightfoot said.
"One of the big lessons learned from the circumstances of Miss Young and other wrong raids is that people who believe that they were victimized shouldn't have to jump hoops and hire a lawyer in order to get access to information about what happened to them," Lightfoot said.
Young's attorney said more needs to be done.
"I think in a general sense it's a step in the right direction, but I don't think these changes go far enough," said attorney Keenan Saulter.
He said the proposed Anjanette Young Ordinance would provide more teeth and accountability and help bridge the trust gap.
"I think the mayor, there's still a lot more work to be done to regain the trust of the community," Saulter said.
WATCH: Mayor Lightfoot explains proposed CPD warrant changes
The new policies will go out for public review for 15 days, after getting feedback and making any modifications the mayor said they should go into effect before the end of the month.
The changes announced Wednesday include:
Prior to search warrant execution
- All search warrants will now have to be approved by a deputy chief or higher, which is three ranks above the previous requirement of lieutenant approval.
- All "No-Knock" warrants will be banned from use by CPD except in specific cases where lives or safety are in danger. Additionally, these "No-Knock" warrants will now need approval from a bureau chief or higher, and will only be served by SWAT, rather than the team or officer who obtained and sought approval for the warrant.
- Prior to the service of any search warrant, the team who will be serving a warrant will now be required to conduct a planning session wherein they identify any potentially vulnerable people who may be present at the location in question, including children.
- In an effort to eliminate the possibilities of "wrong" raids, all warrants, both standard and "No-Knock", will now require an independent investigation prior to the approval and execution of the warrant that will verify and corroborate that the information used to obtain the warrant is accurate.
During search warrant execution
- A female officer is now required to be present for the serving of all search warrants.
- A lieutenant or higher must be present and in command of the scene for the serving of any warrant, as opposed to the previous requirement that a sergeant be present.
- In aligning with preexisting policy, officers will also be required to document any and all instances in which a firearm is pointed at any person.
After search warrant execution
- Any search warrant that is served at a wrong address OR where the information used to obtain the warrant turns out to be false will be considered a wrong raid.
- A complaint log number will be required for submitting false reports or for all wrong raids, including those in which search warrant is served at a wrong address or where the information used to obtain the warrant turns out to be false
- Additionally, CPD will now conduct a critical incident after-action review for all wrong raids
The public will have the next 15 days to comment on the new changes. Lightfoot hopes to have the new changes in effect by the end of the month.
