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Mayor’s Office image of Rahm Emanuel jogging with police recruits in March 2017. |
Nearly one year into Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s promise to increase the Chicago Police Department force by 1,000 cops, the city had gained just 37 officers, according to data secured by CWBChicago via a Freedom Of Information Act request. And since his promise was made, 17 of the city’s 22 police districts have lost manpower, not gained it.
On September 21 last year, Emanuel promised that the city will replace every cop who retires and will further increase the department’s manpower by 1,000 cops overall before the end of 2018.
But the city’s own data–comparing manpower on the day of Emanuel’s promise with the day of our request for information (July 21)—shows the city is falling far short. Graduations have barely kept pace with retirements and promotions, the numbers show.
Since Emanuel made his promise, Chicagoans have been awash in a seemingly endless river of footage showing the mayor at CPD graduation ceremonies and jogging with legions of new recruits. But, as of July 21, all of the hype had resulted in a net gain of just 37 cops.
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Emanuel inspects new police graduates in August 2017 | City of Chicago |
Another promise, to increase the number of detectives by 266 is faring better, with the department’s three detective divisions increasing by a total of 174 investigators since last September.
Police units that saw the greatest increases in strength were the Area North and Area Central detective units; the recruit training division; and the Area Central Bureau of Patrol.
Ignoring “The Backbone”
But the units that lost the most manpower are largely in what’s called the “backbone of policing”—Chicago’s 22 police districts. The district units are on the front line, handling day-to-day patrols and responding to 911 calls.
In the violence-ripped Englewood District, there are 55 fewer cops than when Rahm promised to add 1,000 officers citywide. Englewood lost more cops than any other ongoing unit in the entire department, according to the city’s data.
And the 10th (Ogden) District lost 38 officers; the 4th (South Chicago) lost 27 and the 2nd (Wentworth) is off by 26.
The 18th District, which protects the heart of Chicago’s tourism district between the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and Fullerton lost 21 cops. The 19th District, spanning from Fullerton to Lawrence and the river to the lake, lost 15.
Fewer cops translate directly to slower emergency response times and greater frequency of so-called “RAP” events. RAPS, or “Radio Assignment Pending” status means that a district does not have any police officers available to handle incoming calls for emergency service.
Shuddup About It
But if you’re frustrated with the fact that your local police district is losing cops while politicians keep talking about how many “new cops” there are, don’t bring it up.
Across the city, police commanders—nearly all working with fewer officers than a year ago—have been instructed to shut up about their manpower needs.
At a recent 14th District Community Policing meeting, officers were forbidden to speak about district manpower numbers. Instead, they bounced the question to an alderman who was in attendance. The 14th District serves Logan Square, Avondale, Bucktown, and Wicker Park.
CWBChicago’s FOIA letter sought the department’s total manpower by unit on or about September 21, 2016, and on July 21, 2017, for comparison. Our request, filed on July 21, was answered on September 1, two days after CPD says it swore in 182 new cops.
Data: Manpower Changes—September 21, 2016 vs. July 21, 2017
|
|
9/2016 |
7/2017 |
Change |
1 |
DISTRICT 001 |
292 |
292 |
0 |
2 |
DISTRICT 002 |
351 |
325 |
-26 |
3 |
DISTRICT 003 |
342 |
321 |
-21 |
4 |
DISTRICT 004 |
348 |
321 |
-27 |
5 |
DISTRICT 005 |
324 |
328 |
4 |
6 |
DISTRICT 006 |
356 |
354 |
-2 |
7 |
DISTRICT 007 |
439 |
384 |
-55 |
8 |
DISTRICT 008 |
374 |
356 |
-18 |
9 |
DISTRICT 009 |
347 |
337 |
-10 |
10 |
DISTRICT 010 |
363 |
325 |
-38 |
11 |
DISTRICT 011 |
443 |
432 |
-11 |
12 |
DISTRICT 012 |
333 |
323 |
-10 |
14 |
DISTRICT 014 |
235 |
239 |
4 |
15 |
DISTRICT 015 |
335 |
326 |
-9 |
16 |
DISTRICT 016 |
225 |
246 |
21 |
17 |
DISTRICT 017 |
233 |
228 |
-5 |
18 |
DISTRICT 018 |
339 |
318 |
-21 |
19 |
DISTRICT 019 |
378 |
363 |
-15 |
20 |
DISTRICT 020 |
224 |
244 |
20 |
22 |
DISTRICT 022 |
263 |
251 |
-12 |
24 |
DISTRICT 024 |
282 |
267 |
-15 |
25 |
DISTRICT 025 |
345 |
337 |
-8 |
44 |
RECRUIT TRAINING SECTION |
306 |
376 |
70 |
45 |
DISTRICT REINSTATEMENT UNIT |
2 |
3 |
1 |
50 |
AIRPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT SECTION – NORTH |
122 |
119 |
-3 |
51 |
AIRPORT LAW ENFORCEMENT SECTION – SOUTH |
40 |
42 |
2 |
55 |
MOUNTED UNIT |
26 |
23 |
-3 |
57 |
DETAIL UNIT |
55 |
65 |
10 |
59 |
MARINE OPERATIONS UNIT |
42 |
38 |
-4 |
60 |
HELICOPTER OPERATIONS UNIT |
8 |
8 |
0 |
79 |
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT |
27 |
24 |
-3 |
102 |
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS |
15 |
25 |
10 |
111 |
OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT |
18 |
18 |
0 |
114 |
LEGAL AFFAIRS SECTION |
35 |
23 |
-12 |
115 |
CRIME CONTROL STRATEGIES SECTION |
24 |
29 |
5 |
116 |
DEPLOYMENT OPERATIONS CENTER |
66 |
71 |
5 |
120 |
BUREAU OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
9 |
8 |
-1 |
121 |
BUREAU OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS |
87 |
76 |
-11 |
122 |
FINANCE DIVISION |
13 |
13 |
0 |
123 |
HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION |
60 |
84 |
24 |
124 |
EDUCATION AND TRAINING DIVISION |
161 |
214 |
53 |
125 |
INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION |
75 |
64 |
-11 |
126 |
INSPECTION DIVISION |
13 |
10 |
-3 |
127 |
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION |
35 |
30 |
-5 |
128 |
PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING DIVISION |
7 |
6 |
-1 |
129 |
MANAGEMENT AND LABOR AFFAIRS SECTION |
5 |
7 |
2 |
130 |
BUREAU OF TECHNICAL SERVICES |
1 |
3 |
2 |
131 |
INTEGRITY SECTION |
2 |
4 |
2 |
133 |
INFORMATION AND STRATEGIC SERVICES |
4 |
6 |
2 |
135 |
COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIVISION |
10 |
15 |
5 |
136 |
SPECIAL EVENTS UNIT |
11 |
11 |
0 |
140 |
OFFICE OF THE FIRST DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT |
15 |
18 |
3 |
141 |
SPECIAL FUNCTIONS DIVISION |
12 |
4 |
-8 |
142 |
BUREAU OF PATROL |
17 |
16 |
-1 |
145 |
TRAFFIC SECTION |
35 |
36 |
1 |
148 |
TRAFFIC COURT UNIT |
3 |
2 |
-1 |
153 |
SPECIAL FUNCTIONS SUPPORT UNIT |
17 |
15 |
-2 |
161 |
GENERAL SUPPORT DIVISION |
11 |
11 |
0 |
162 |
RECORDS DIVISION |
0 |
3 |
3 |
163 |
RECORDS INQUIRY SECTION |
7 |
6 |
-1 |
166 |
FIELD SERVICES SECTION |
118 |
121 |
3 |
167 |
EVIDENCE AND RECOVERED PROPERTY SECTION |
41 |
37 |
-4 |
169 |
POLICE DOCUMENTS SECTION |
5 |
4 |
-1 |
171 |
CENTRAL DETENTION UNIT |
41 |
39 |
-2 |
172 |
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY SECTION |
5 |
5 |
0 |
177 |
FORENSIC SERVICES DIVISION |
56 |
54 |
-2 |
179 |
REPRODUCTION AND GRAPHIC ARTS SECTION |
7 |
0 |
-7 |
180 |
BUREAU OF DETECTIVES |
32 |
36 |
4 |
184 |
YOUTH INVESTIGATION DIVISION |
6 |
5 |
-1 |
187 |
CRIMINAL REGISTRATION UNIT |
13 |
12 |
-1 |
188 |
BUREAU OF ORGANIZED CRIME |
10 |
11 |
1 |
189 |
NARCOTICS DIVISION |
349 |
324 |
-25 |
191 |
INTELLIGENCE SECTION |
50 |
46 |
-4 |
192 |
VICE & ASSET FORFEITURE DIVISION |
49 |
47 |
-2 |
193 |
GANG INVESTIGATION DIVISION |
161 |
203 |
42 |
196 |
ASSET FORFEITURE INVESTIGATION SECTION |
31 |
31 |
0 |
211 |
BUREAU OF PATROL – AREA CENTRAL |
138 |
182 |
44 |
212 |
BUREAU OF PATROL – AREA SOUTH |
93 |
97 |
4 |
213 |
BUREAU OF PATROL – AREA NORTH |
103 |
100 |
-3 |
222 |
TIMEKEEPING UNIT – HEADQUARTERS |
4 |
6 |
2 |
231 |
MEDICAL SECTION |
14 |
14 |
0 |
241 |
TROUBLED BUILDING UNIT |
21 |
22 |
1 |
261 |
COURT SECTION |
52 |
44 |
-8 |
276 |
OEMC – DETAIL SECTION |
0 |
2 |
2 |
277 |
FORENSIC SERVICES EVIDENCE TECHNICIAN SECTIO |
77 |
89 |
12 |
311 |
GANG ENFORCEMENT – AREA CENTRAL |
67 |
66 |
-1 |
312 |
GANG ENFORCEMENT – AREA SOUTH |
67 |
83 |
16 |
313 |
GANG ENFORCEMENT – AREA NORTH |
69 |
72 |
3 |
341 |
CANINE UNIT |
39 |
33 |
-6 |
353 |
SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS (SWAT) UNIT |
65 |
69 |
4 |
376 |
ALTERNATE RESPONSE SECTION |
176 |
137 |
-39 |
384 |
JUVENILE INTERVENTION SUPPORT CENTER (JISC) |
45 |
44 |
-1 |
393 |
GANG ENFORCEMENT DIVISION |
47 |
0 |
-47 |
441 |
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES SECTION |
17 |
13 |
-4 |
442 |
BOMB SQUAD |
15 |
13 |
-2 |
541 |
FOP DETAIL |
6 |
7 |
1 |
542 |
DETACHED SERVICES – GOVERMENT SECURITY |
18 |
18 |
0 |
543 |
DETACHED SERVICES – MISCELLANEOUS DETAIL |
55 |
62 |
7 |
545 |
PBPA SERGEANT |
2 |
2 |
0 |
549 |
INSPECTOR GENERAL DETAIL UNIT |
1 |
1 |
0 |
603 |
ARSON SECTION |
21 |
20 |
-1 |
606 |
CENTRAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION |
99 |
100 |
1 |
608 |
MAJOR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION UNIT |
28 |
38 |
10 |
610 |
DETECTIVE AREA – CENTRAL |
274 |
353 |
79 |
620 |
DETECTIVE AREA – SOUTH |
244 |
249 |
5 |
630 |
DETECTIVE AREA – NORTH |
252 |
342 |
90 |
701 |
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECTION |
123 |
121 |
-2 |
702 |
CTA SECURITY UNIT |
3 |
2 |
-1 |
704 |
TRANSIT SECURITY UNIT |
39 |
34 |
-5 |
711 |
VIOLENCE REDUCTION INITIATIVE NORTH |
12 |
11 |
-1 |
712 |
VIOLENCE REDUCTION INITIATIVE SOUTH |
18 |
17 |
-1 |
714 |
SUMMER MOBILE PATROL |
103 |
103 |
0 |
720 |
GRANTS SECTION |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Total |
11948 |
11985 |
37 |