Some of the infamous “South Bend Police tapes” have apparently made their way to Chicago, according to court documents.

It’s alleged that the situation runs counter to a court order that requires the tapes to remain in the custody of a “trusted city official” or the mayor.

According to court documents, the tapes have long been stored with a law firm hired by the city administration.

That firm shut down its South Bend offices in December of 2017 and had a third party move the tapes to the Chicago office of Faegre Baker Daniels.

A hard drive that backs up the recordings remains stored in the server room of the South Bend Police Department.

In court documents, attorney Ryan Milligan acknowledges that, contrary to the court’s order, some of the recordings at issue have been moved to Chicago, where they are “securely stored by our law firm in its Chicago office.”

The city’s brief assumes that since the law firm was already serving as custodian of the tapes it could serve as the “trusted city official” referred to in the judicial order.

If that is not agreeable to all parties, the city suggests that the tapes be placed in the custody of the city controller.

Former Police Chief Darryl Boykins routinely recorded some telephone lines in the department without the knowledge of the officers involved.

The courts are being asked to determine if that practice amounted to illegal wiretapping.