Chicago cops received a one-two punch Monday night when CPD Supt. David Brown cancelled all of their usual days off between June 14 and June 22. Brown sent another email two minutes later, saying he “anticipates” cancelling their days off from June 28 through July 4, too.
The emails were sent at 9:21 and 9:23 p.m. on Memorial Day — a holiday for which Brown’s top deputy, Eric Carter, had cancelled days off since last Tuesday.
Despite the cancelled days, Chicago still racked up 55 shooting victims over the weekend, including 9 murders, according to HeyJackass, an independent crime statistics site. That’s 13 more victims than last Memorial Day weekend. It’s also more than the same holiday weekends in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2014.
Brown said he was cancelling the first set of days off due to “Juneteenth/Father’s Day Weekend” and he warned officers CPD may implement 12-hour shifts “if operational needs arise.” He called the second set of dates an “Anticipatory Notice – Independence Day Weekend.”
CWBChicago reported last week that CPD records show some of the department’s highest-ranking officers, including Carter, have taken weeks of vacation while simultaneously cancelling or limiting days off for cops under their command.
Earlier this month, Brown told reporters that the department was trying to give cops more notice about cancelled days off. In fact, CPD recently distributed a “weekend cancellation matrix” for three months beginning today.
The cancellations and anticipated cancellation announced by Brown on Monday night are not included in the matrix. It remains to be seen whether command staff will continue to enjoy time off while front line cops have their weekends nixed.