* Sun-Times editorial…
As of Sunday, according to Sun-Times reporter Dan Mihalopoulos, the Chicago Police Department has brought on 409 recruits this year but seen even more officers — 547 — retire. Another 100 recruits joined the police Training Academy on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Mihalopoulos reports, police districts in which people must wait the longest for the police to respond are mostly on the South Side, while all the districts with the quickest response times are on the North Side.
The only fair conclusions to be drawn, then, are that we’ll just have to see it to believe it that Chicago’s really getting many more cops, and Chicago had better deploy that larger police force more fairly, assigning more officers to where they are needed most. A handful of extra cops won’t make Chicago safer, especially if they are not dispatched to where the crime is.
As of Oct. 19, there were 6,244 rank-and-file police officers working in Chicago’s 22 police districts. That’s down more than 800 cops from the 7,047 working beats shortly after Emanuel took office in 2011.
Or look at the numbers this way: At the start of 2011, the year Emanuel won his first term, the Police Department had 12,737 members. Now, that number is below 12,000. Compare that with a decade ago, when overall Police Department staffing was more than 14,000.
- Almost the Weekend - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:15 am:
Not to troll but is CPD actually capable of creating a system that records all gunshots in the city and their times, and using this data in a beneficial way?
It’s too late now because it’s winter, where I’m sure in March city politicians will boast how gun crime is down.
CPD has data from tens of thousands of shootings they should use this information for summer 2017, to reduce time to travel to crime scenes and have a police presence in known hot spots.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:21 am:
is the memo on Second City Cop about the State’s Attorney’s Office and the new policy on retail theft and felony charges real? if so, the “shopping” season will be interesting. re a memo on SSC, felony retail theft charges will only be approved if merch is valued over $1000 and you need 10 or more prior felony convictions if case is based on prior offenses. doesn’t the actual law say something different? if this report is correct, how can the law in one county be different than in another. and, I guess this truly means you can reassign cops from Michigan Ave because it’s all just a misdemeanor over there.
- Been There - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:23 am:
===Chicago had better deploy that larger police force more fairly, assigning more officers to where they are needed most.===
He be and others better watch what they wish for. Pulling cops from other low crime areas might seem like a good idea. Except if crime goes up in those areas because of it you will see a big hit to the property values which produce the most tax revenue. Redeployment from safe neighborhoods is not the answer. Add more police in the high crime areas, even if we need to raise taxes again. The staffing in the safe areas is at a minimum now anyway but at least it’s keeping things stable.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:32 am:
A Leutinent in the Elgin Police Department once told me, ” You can put a cop on every corner and not stop crime.”
- 007dist. - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:47 am:
Well if more police go to high crime areas which are mostly minority we will just get more and more stories about how cops stop minority’s disaportionatly. More police equals more stops, tickets and arrests. So in few months to a year we will get the racism complaints. What an interesting cycle.
- Peters Post - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 10:49 am:
The mission is serve and protect. If you read Second City Cop you are aware that officer initiated service and officer initiated protection is now discouraged. More officers are needed and the culture has to change. Easy to break a positive culture most difficult to repair.
- DuPage - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 11:07 am:
I read 1000 Chicago cops have put in for retirement at the end of the year. Is the 547 retiring part of that 1000? Is CPD going to be without replacements for another 450 retirees?
- Amalia - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 11:18 am:
@DuPage, several weeks ago heard that several retirements were planned in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office as well. why work in law enforcement if enforcing the law is discouraged?
- First Gentleman - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 11:29 am:
@Almost your comment about using data reminded me of this concept that’s being used by some EMS units: http://www.jems.com/articles/2013/12/using-data-and-technology-improve-dispat.html
In addition to a better understanding of what is happening from increased data collection, the information is also put to use with predictive modeling to essentially map out where the most likely next incident location is. I’m not sure exactly how CPS could translate this into modeling to better inform their policing decisions, but with limited resources in the field it makes sense to me to make use of a low-manpower resource like big data. Could be anything from more targeted patrols to sharing that info with community organizations for their work.
Also, credit to NPR for putting out a story about this a while back. I don’t normally just read EMS journals…
- Hit or Miss - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 11:36 am:
The facts are clear, Chicago has fewer cops than in the past. One needs to ask if the city can afford to increase the number on the street or not. Without adding any more cops, or anyone else for that matter, to the city payroll, Chicago needs a major property tax increase to pay for its under funded pension plan and to fill the large budget hole at CPS. I wonder if the combination of funding needs will not cause a taxpayer revolt at the ballot box or not?
- Mokenavince - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 11:58 am:
Chicago could use more cops. And less Alderman. . Another Alderman was just indicted. Chicago should spend money on more police and less on politicians.
- proudstatetrooper - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 12:04 pm:
Law Enforcement in Chicago is done. Cops are playing fireman now. Respond to calls only when you have backup and drive slow so that most of the nonsense is over by the time you get there.
Reap what you sow ACLU, Tiny Dancer, and Ms Fox
- Amalia - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 12:32 pm:
hey if Cochran is still somehow on the police books, they can get rid of his slot and his pension. yay, another vacancy!
- Slippin' Jimmy - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 1:00 pm:
Good comments and questions by everyone on this issue. Questions about staffing, hiring, retirements and crime stats should be directed at the Mayor as he’s the one responsible.
- Precinct Captain - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 2:28 pm:
Chicago hasn’t had a beat realignment since when, the 80s? A few station houses closed, but the underlying deployment map didn’t change. The city puts the least experienced officers into the areas needing the most expertise and starves of the most crime-ridden areas of having an adequate floor of officers.
https://chicagopatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2016-01-05-Letter-from-Colleen-Connell-to-Task-Force-on-Police-Accountability-w-exhibits.pdf
- Federalist - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 3:04 pm:
The city that doesn’t WORK!
- Anon - Wednesday, Dec 14, 16 @ 3:42 pm:
They have been moving cops from the nicer areas to the south and west side. Part of Tom Tunney’s deal for going along with one of Rahm’s tax hikes was that Wrigleyville would get back the numbers that it lost.
I’m going to guess the North Side also has significanly fewer calls for police as well.