10 Months After Rahm Promised 1000 More Cops, Chicago Had Gained 37—Most Districts Have LOST Officers

September 10, 2017 CWBChicago Citywide, CTA
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.

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.

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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

About CWBChicago 4360 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets.
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