Sep 28, 2009 4:47 pm US/Central
CPD: Shortage Of Officers Not Affecting Safety
Police Union Says Less Manpower Means Slower Response Times, Overworked Cops
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
There are fewer police officers on the streets of Chicago than normal. The Chicago Police Department is down 500-officers from what it considers "full strength."
So what does that mean for the city and the safety of Chicago residents?
CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports that Chicago police would not say exactly how many officers the department currently has. They estimated it's around 13,000 and they said the shortage wasn't making the city any less safe. However, the union representing more than 11,000 rank-and-file police officers said it doesn't exactly agree with that.
The latest class of cadets at the Chicago Police Academy was scheduled to graduate on Oct. 8 and many can't wait to join the police force. Cadet Darren Ohle said he's drawn to police work because he can help people when they can't help themselves and Cadet Jackie Varela said she's wanted to be a police officer since she was a little girl.
"It's a very heroic job and I always wanted to be a part of it," said Varela.
But the 42 new officers slated to graduate from the academy and join the force won't come close to filling the 500-officer shortage the Chicago Police Department was facing as of Monday. In fact, that shortage could expand to 800 by the end of the year because of budget constraints and an agreement with the city that would allow some officers to retire early.
Deputy Chief Wayne Gulliford said the shortage presents some challenges to the officers currently on the force.
"It just means we have to work a little smarter, be more efficient with the use of our resources," said Gulliford.
According to Gulliford, that means redeploying officers and specialized units to crime "hot spots" within the city. It also means making better use of crime fighting tools including police cameras, computer analysis of crimes in the city, and good, old-fashioned sources.
The strategy seemed to be working, officials said. According to Chicago Police, overall crime in the city was down 9.2 percent compared to last year as of Monday.
When asked why the city needed 500 additional officers if crime is down, Gulliford said the reason is simple. "Because I think we're stretching our resources a little bit," he said.
That's an understatement, according to Mark Donahue, the president of the local Fraternal Order of Police. The Chicago FOP represents 11,400 Chicago police officers.
"If anyone thinks that the people of the city of Chicago are just as safe as they are now when we had 500 more policemen here, they're not really paying attention what's going on around the city," said Donahue.
Donahue added that, according to his members, the lack of manpower was slowing responses to calls, forcing officers to work harder and at times, put themselves in more dangerous situations. He said that's dangerous not only for his members, but for everyone who depends on them to keep the city safe, and that is why the city needs to address the police shortage as a safety issue.
"As long as crime is occurring, we need to have the resources to fight it," said Donahue.
The city recently received approval for a federal grant which will allow it to hire 50 new officers. As for when the department would return to "full strength," a police spokesperson said that depends on how quickly the economy recovers, because more money in the city's budget will mean more money to hire police officers.
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