* August press release…

Sen. Mike Porfirio and Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar today praised Gov. JB Pritzker for signing legislation to acquire a new police district facility representing their districts on the Southwest Side of Chicago. In May, the bill passed both chambers with veto-proof margins.

House Bill 478 transfers the Midway Flight Facility located at 5400 W. 63rd St. to the City of Chicago for the express purpose of a police district for $1. The payment would be made to the Department of Military Affairs, which currently owns the property.

“I want to thank Gov. Pritzker for recognizing the importance of this legislation for Southwest Side residents who want this facility to be used for public good,” Porfirio said. “We hope Mayor Johnson also will support our efforts to provide better police support on the Southwest Side.”

The current 8th Chicago Police District is the busiest and largest by population, ranking first for all crimes committed across the city. Southwest Side residents voted overwhelmingly - at nearly 87% - for a new police district in the March 19 primary. A group of 15 elected officials representing the community sent Gov. Pritzker a letter in March requesting the state sell them a vacant building to be used as a new police district facility.

“I applaud Gov. Pritzker for signing this important legislation for our residents who deserve safe neighborhoods like everyone else,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “I’m hopeful Mayor Johnson will see the need in developing an additional police district on the Southwest Side.”

The 8th District has the worst data points in the city on key police staffing metrics, which has led to slow police response times and resident frustration. At its current size, which hasn’t changed since the late 1960s, the 8th District is the busiest and third-largest police district in the city (at 23 square miles) and serves the highest population with over 250,000 residents. That equates to 10 officers for every 10,000 residents, which is the lowest officer to resident ratio in the city.

* Sun-Times last week…

Mayor Brandon Johnson was accused Thursday of picking a new police-related fight with the City Council that has nothing to do with ShotSpotter — this time surrounding the longstanding demand for a new Southwest Side police district to speed response times.

The new district would alleviate the burden on the existing Chicago Lawn District, which serves the second-largest geographic area with the fewest officers per capita.

Southwest Side alderpersons thought they were well on their way to getting that new district when Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill calling for the sale of a former Illinois National Guard Armory at 5400 W. 63rd Street to the city for $1 “for the express purpose” of creating a new police district.

But Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) and neighboring Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) are now accusing Johnson of pulling the rug out from under their plan.

At Wednesday’s Council meeting, the mayor quietly introduced an ordinance to accept the state’s bargain basement offer — but to use the building for the “storage, maintenance and operation of police vehicles, equipment and aircraft.”

Quinn and Tabares are furious and believe their constituents will feel the same.

* Block Club Chicago today…

Advocates for the new police district thought they were making progress when Pritzker signed a bill allowing the state to sell the former National Guard Armory at 5400 W. 63rd St. to the city for $1 — but only if it were used as a police station.

But at last week’s City Council meeting, Johnson introduced a city ordinance to use the building for “storage, maintenance and operation of police vehicles, equipment and aircraft,” according to the ordinance. The Sun-Times first reported on the proposed ordinance, which has yet to be taken up by the council.

In response, state Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar and Sen. [Mike Porfirio] have asked Pritzker to pause transferring the property to the city, calling Johnson’s move “unacceptable” and outside the purpose of the state bill.

“The state law is pretty clear,” Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) told Block Club. “The ordinance talks about storage, which I think is a violation of state law.”

* OK, to the bills. From the relevant state law…

The conveyance of real property authorized by Section 5 shall be made subject to: … the express condition that if said real property ceases to be used as a police district building, it shall revert to the State of Illinois, Department of Military Affairs.

* From the mayor’s proposed ordinance…

For purposes of this ordinance, “use as a police district building” means use as a police building for the storage, maintenance, and operation of police vehicles and equipment, including aircraft.

Heh.