Newly-received Chicago Police Department documents show that manpower in our 19th district has slipped to 369 officers in September, down five since last month and 99 cops short of the force that protected our area in late 2011.
44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney said last year that 35 officers would join our district’s decimated force in 2016. Tunney said he secured the modest increase in exchange for voting in favor of Chicago’s record-breaking property tax increase.
“I have been assured that 35 additional police officers will be assigned to the 19th District in 2016,” Tunney wrote hours after casting his vote, “including 25 in the first quarter and another ten during the rest of the year.”
As it turns out, the 25th officer didn’t arrive until May and we’re still waiting for the remaining balance.
The 19th district ended 2015 with a force of 341 officers, so the “promised” manpower level is 376 officers.
Of course, 376 is still far short of the number of cops who should be (and who used to) patrol the district, which stretches from Fullerton Avenue to Lawrence Avenue and from the Chicago River to Lake Michigan.
