CHICAGO — The number of police officers is at or near record lows and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign pledge to add 200 more detectives is unfulfilled, despite his claims to the contrary, according to a WGN Investigates analysis of police staffing numbers.
As of September, Chicago had 1,662 fewer officers than it did in 2018, a decline of nearly 13 percent.
When a mob of people broke into and stole the contents of a stopped freight train on Chicago’s west side earlier this month, news helicopters hovered overhead as the train heist continued despite the arrival of police.
“They’ve come to learn that we can only do so much,” said retired Chicago police lieutenant John Garrido. “They see a small number of officers arrive, they know there’s more of them than us. The just hope they’re the ones who don’t get caught.”
The train robbery occurred on the border of two police districts that together have 170 fewer officers than they did in 2019, according to data from the city’s inspector general.
A few days later, a fatal shooting outside a rap concert at the United Center drew a large police response. However, police radio traffic from that night reveals other calls for help went without an immediate police response. Those calls ranged from reports of a domestic battery, fights in progress, multiple mental health disturbances and a car accident.
Mayor Johnson has not cut the police budget as some opponents initially feared. However, his campaign promise to hire 200 more detectives has not materialized.
“We will get to 200 detectives by the end of this year. I made that promise,” the mayor said on October 18. But there are only two more detectives currently on the job than there were when Johnson took office in May 2023, according to data from the from city’s inspector general reviewed by WGN Investigates.
In April 2023, Johnson said during a mayoral debate hosted by WGN: “We need 200 more detectives, because we need to solve crime… that’s why on day one, we’re going to move towards promoting and hiring 200 more detectives.”
In response to questions about the status of the campaign promise, the mayor’s office seemed to try to shift the verbiage of the pledge by counting any detective promoted or hired regardless of whether it actually grows the ranks.
“Mayor Johnson committed to promoting 200 detectives in 2024 in order to improve homicide clearance rates without adding to the department’s total sworn staff. The final class of 80 officers referenced by the Budget Director are currently participating in the Pre-Service Detective training, which will be completed in November, allowing us to fulfill this commitment and promote 200 detectives,” mayoral spokesperson Angel Edmond told WGN Investigates.
Amidst a city budget crisis, WGN Investigates has learned the police training academy is not holding classes for new recruits in October or November; one is scheduled for December.
City Hall points to an increasing homicide clearance rate and a decrease in the number of shootings and murders in Chicago as evidence their strategy is working. As for the overall number of officers reaching record lows and its impact on response, CPD insists its approach is effective.
“The Chicago Police Department regularly reviews staffing levels throughout the city to ensure resources are appropriately allocated to address public safety,” a police spokesperson said via email in response to questions.
Those who have tried to determine police response times – let alone adequate staffing – say they’ve been stymied by an accounting system that has failed to collect key metrics. A 2023 analysis by Chicago inspector general Deborah Witzburg found 49% of police dispatch records failed to include the time an officer reported arriving on scene.
“We cannot improve what we cannot measure,” Witzburg told WGN Investigates at the time. “There’s not enough data to know how long response times really are.”
People whose hobby it is to listen to now encrypted and delayed broadcasts of police radio traffic say the impact staffing shortages are having on response times is obvious.
“On the weekends and holidays [the backlog] is insurmountable,” said scanner hawk George Bliss. “Just 10 years ago, if you were robbed on State Street – somebody took your wallet or cellphone – the police were there right away. Not now because the backlog is so enormous.”
