Leadership from the Chicago Police Department pushed for more funding for the department in the upcoming budget in a City Council hearing, one day after a $300 million property tax hike was shot down in a unanimous vote.
CPD Supt. Larry Snelling testified before city lawmakers Friday as Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget plan includes the elimination of approximately 400 vacant positions.
"Things are trending in the right direction, but we still have work to do," Snelling said during the hearing.
While Johnson's plan does include the elimination of vacant positions, the CPD budget does see a minor increase, up to approximately $2 billion.
Johnson said the prospective cuts would not impact constitutional policing efforts, as some City Council members expressed concerns over potential impact on the department's compliance with a federal consent decree.
Snelling also told lawmakers that the department's three new helicopters would save more money than they cost, as they could be used to thwart dangerous high-speed chases.
"What it has reduced is the risk to the people in our city, it's also reducing the risk of lawsuits," Snelling said.
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Some lawmakers raised concerns over the future of policing in their wards, with 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn continuing a push for a new police district on Chicago's Southwest Side.
Snelling also faced questions regarding CPD's response to violent incidents without the use of ShotSpotter, the gunshot detection technology that was taken out of use by the city earlier this year.
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After a special meeting Thursday, a group of City Council members worked to file a new amendment to reinstate the technology.
“Getting to those locations as quickly as possible is going to be helpful for those officers to save lives,” Snelling said. He admitted that technology like ShotSpotter would help to gather evidence and plan for ongoing conflicts. Snelling cautioned, however, that no technology exists to prevent crime.
The city is still facing a billion-dollar budget gap and cuts to some departments are expected now that the council has nixed the mayor’s proposed $300 million property tax increase.
“That’s my concern,” 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said. “Yesterday we had a display of good theatrics, but not a lot of solutions.”
