Chicago police face scrutiny over firearm searches and possession cases

Recent incidents in Chicago have highlighted issues regarding firearm possession and police search protocols. Nakia Smith, a convicted felon, pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon after walking into a Calumet District police station with a loaded .45-caliber handgun in March 2023. While Smith claimed he intended to turn the weapon in to remove it from the streets, prosecutors noted he appeared intoxicated and became belligerent during the encounter. Former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has publicly defended Smith.

Separately, records indicate that Chicago police officers failed to locate loaded handguns on suspects during searches at least twice following the April shooting of Officer John Bartholomew at Swedish Hospital. In one instance, a loaded semi-automatic pistol was discovered in a suspect's possession hours after he had been processed at a district station. In another case, a loaded Taurus handgun was found in a suspect's waistband only after he was transferred to the Cook County Jail. Internal affairs is currently investigating these oversights.