Chicago Police Union: Rahm Emanuel's Call For Massive Departmental Cuts A 'Stunt'

The Chicago Fraternal Order of Police on Wednesday dismissed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's call for massive cuts -- reportedly to the tune of $190 million of the Chicago Police Department's $1.3 billion budget -- as a "stunt."

Union spokesman Patrick Camden said the department is already drastically short of being fully staffed and, therefore, the numbers the mayor has thrown out "have no substance to them," as reported by WBEZ. Emanuel has pledged that the budget cuts will not impact the number of police officers working on the street.

"This money that he's talking about saving - that was never going to be spent anyway. So we're just playing a game of smoke and mirrors here," Camden added.

FOP president Michael Shields had even harsher words for the mayor, according to the Chicago Tribune. Shields said the move was indicative of "the Emanuel shuffle" that does not align with the new mayor's campaign promise to add 1,000 new officers to the streets of Chicago. Instead, the number of police officers has actually decreased slightly since the mayor took office this year.

Nonetheless, with the call for CPD budget cuts now out in the open, FOP has, according to NBC Chicago, hired their own experts to analyze police spending and create a plan identifying the cuts they would like to see. Judging by comments made to NBC, that plan, due for release in two weeks, is likely to focus on thinning the department's middle management.

"There is too much management on the Chicago Police Department. As you see the numbers in the rank and file shrinking, you don't see those numbers reflective on the command structure as well," Shields said.

Others also have their own ideas concerning how to keep Chicago's police costs low. Alderman Anthony Beale (9th), the former chairman of the City Council’s Police and Fire Committee, told the Chicago Sun-Times that officers should be assigned "when and where the crime is," thus allowing the force to operate on a leaner budget. Beale also has his eye on eliminating officers' $1,800-a-year uniform allowance, in addition to a $2,800-a-year lump sum payment they receive for essentially being on-call at all times.

"It has to be a conscious effort to make the unpopular decision to say, 'We’re gonna move officers around to where they’re most needed -- not where they’re most wanted.' If we’re gonna make the entire city safe, we can do it with less officers," Beale told the Sun-Times.

Photo by Zol87 via Flickr.

Comments

[edgewater]

05:15 PM on 09/04/2011

You want budget cuts? Cut the aldermen down to 15, cut their saleries down to about 35k (it is a part time position) cut their expense accounts to 100$ per month (instead of 74k per year) and you will save quite a bit. They do next to nothing anyhow. Our aldeman could not even get a 7 foot pothole that was into the sewerline fixed for over 4 weeks. The ward had to call 311 daily to get something done (48th).
Considering violence is up, cutting the police force is not an option. We could cut Burke's and Daley's security forces to nothing. That would save us an additional few hundred thousand. Cut the rest of the politicos security forces and that would save us a few million.

Rework the 311/911 system so that you did not have to call 911 to get a car assigned for assistance and you save the city some money too! It is a joke, but cutting officers is not an option.

Rahm has to take on the entire city because Daley let everything go to p ot. The schools need major help, and the police are totally a mess, but cutting officers is not the way to go!

[jsrfire]

03:41 PM on 09/03/2011

It's the same old story with these aldermen. They sit in the cozy little offices, out of harms way, collecting their $180K a year salaries for a part time job, and as soon as the mayor needs to cut the budget, the look to police and fire. Maybe Beale should trade his cushy job for a set of fire clothes and follow us into a burning structure or chase some crack head down a dark alleyway not knowing if he has a gun and may kill you. Do you know what's really useless in my opinion? ALDERMEN are useless. Once upon a time, we needed to call them for some of the basics, like garbage cans or trees down. Now we just dial 311 for those services. So what is it really that we need the aldermen for? Bigger cities run with fewer aldermen. Face it we don't need you. We need to trim the fat from the top, not from public safety or any other workforce for that matter. DUMP the aldermen and this city will be a better place to live.

[nbart71]

11:45 AM on 09/02/2011

The CPD is useless anyway. They just stop eating and shaking people down long enough to come mop up crime scenes. The whole CPD should be fired and started over from scratch.

[rob01826]

11:13 AM on 09/02/2011

Why doesn't Rahm Emanuel cut some of the social welfare programs and make room for the police department. The last thing these parasites need is more government handouts. Let the PD hire more cops and give Chicago the NYC, Guiliani treatment.

[crookedcountyillinois]

09:05 AM on 09/02/2011

When it comes to government, budget cuts are never a "stunt"; but simply moral and ethical.

[redbuns]

07:50 AM on 09/02/2011

this story links to the report of the cyclist who got bushwacked by a bunch of kids while riding on lakeshore drive.

i won't even go to chicago anymore. who would want to visit a cesspool?

[Arthur Harold Cooper]

12:10 AM on 09/02/2011

So are the flash mobs that will over run Chicago' Just a stunt. GW Bush, again. Just a stunt, that's all. Thats what we have in the WH- A stunt fail.

[publius12]

10:24 PM on 09/01/2011

Somebody finally has the courage to take on the police. About time. They aer a bunch of spoiled jocks with expensive toys. When did this country become occupied by paramilitary police forces with SWAT teams, black Ops, helicopters, tanks? Notice how they are gradually changing their uniforms from blue to black? What the heck is going on?

[Arthur Harold Cooper]

12:13 AM on 09/02/2011

What a sweetheart you are!

[redbuns]

07:51 AM on 09/02/2011

hard to figure which is worse...the politicians in chicago or the cops.

[knightoftheroundtable]

10:18 PM on 09/01/2011

Rahm belongs to Chicago. Just thankful I do not live in your city or even county. Now that he is in he will be their as long as he wants. You folks have any regrets yet? If not you will. Just saying.

[nfischet]

09:05 PM on 09/01/2011

But hey....you all VOTED for him,didn't you?

[gerimd]

11:05 PM on 09/01/2011

Not me! But I'm stuck with him.

Meanwhile, he could start by cutting out the police assigned to the former mayor and certain aldermen as "bodyguards" when in reality they are glorified chauffeurs. And ald. Beale, let's look at your bloated budget, shall we?

[robert horwitz]

06:52 PM on 09/01/2011

I have to hand it to Mayor Emanuel. He really has thought out his plan. Since we will have a smaller Police Force Rahm is going to legislate smaller criminals. Who says this man isn't an innovative thinker?

[redbuns]

07:48 AM on 09/02/2011

well just take a look at him...he IS a smaller mayor.