JOHNSON VOWS FAIR ALLOCATION OF POLICE OFFICERS, CAPS OVERHAUL
Police Supt. Eddie Johnson vowed Thursday to develop a “fair, transparent and objective methodology” for determining where to assign both veteran police officers and the 970 reinforcements Mayor Rahm Emanuel has promised to hire over the next two years.
A study that could lead to the police reallocation South and West Side aldermen have been demanding for years will be conducted by Alexander Weiss, a staffing expert, and Paul Evans, a former superintendent for the Boston Police Department.
Weiss has conducted 30 similar studies for cities such as Albuquerque, New Mexico, Louisville, Kentucky, and New Orleans. He conducted a more cursory study for the Chicago Police Department in 2010.
This time, the Chicago study will be far more extensive and include far more variables than calls for service. A draft report is expected in about four months.
“Time currently con- sumed by patrol officers. Variations of geography. Preferred balance for reactive [ vs. pro- active] policing activities. Selection of an officer relief factor in order to ensure officers are not overworked. Ensuring flexibility to adjust and respond to emergency problems and issues across the city. Those are several of the things he’s used in the past,” First Deputy Police Supt. Kevin Navarro told aldermen at a budget hearing.
“The 2010 study was done pro- bono with very limited resources. This one, we’re looking for a more in- depth study from Mr. Weiss.”
Ald. Scott Waguespack ( 32nd) asked whether the study would take a fresh look at Emanuel’s controversial 2012 decision to close three district police stations — Wood, Prairie and Belmont. The first station closings in more than 50 years left Chicago with 22 districts instead of 25.
“Was that a successful set of mergers? Will we revisit that in any way?” Waguespack said.
Navarro replied: “Yes, that’s actually being considered. The district consolidations.”
Waguespack countered: “Further district consolida- tion?”
Navarro countered: “No, no. The previous. In 2010, it wasn’t consolidated yet. So, [ Weiss] is taking that into consideration.”
In his remarks to the City Council, Johnson acknowledged the elephant in the room: How will the 970 new officers be deployed? It’s been the question ever since Emanuel announced the twoyear police hiring surge that marked a stunning aboutface for a mayor who has relied on police overtime to the tune of $ 116 million a year to stop a surge in homicides and shootings.
“To ensure equity across the city, we must have a fair, transparent and objective methodology for determining beat officer deployments,” the superintendent said.
Ald. Ariel Reboyras ( 30th), chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, raised the political concern that has blocked police redeployment so many times before.
“Are you gonna take our personnel from our area?” Reboyras asked.
“For the new hires I can tell you all this: Everybody will get something,” Johnson replied.
Then Ald. James Cappleman ( 46th) asked: Will alder- men play any role at all in “dictating” police deployment?
“Our constituents get angry and furious with us because we did not advocate strongly. There is this belief that the more powerful the alderman is, the more likely that alderman is to get more police within their district. I don’t think that’s a good way of making decisions about deployment of police officers, but there nevertheless is that perception,” Cappleman said.
Johnson laughed, then answered with remarkable candor.
“We probably haven’t done a good job of ensuring that some of our police districts have the amount of resources they could because we had a tendency to pull everything into the most violent districts. But that kind of leaves the backdoor open in the good neighborhoods for property crime especially,” he said.
“When we do this analysis, we’ll utilize the data that we get from that. But we’ll also use commonsense analysis. Sometimes boots on the ground information is just invaluable in determining where you need resources. I don’t think Mr. Weiss is utilizing information from public officials when he makes that determination. Ordinarily, I would not either. However, I do listen when you all say to me that you need additional resources. I don’t want to commit to putting that factor into the actual formula, but we do listen to all suggestions.”
The superintendent also promised to breathe new life into Chicago’s once trailblazing but now moribund community policing program.
To do that, he’s forming a Community Policing Advisory Panel chaired by Chief of Patrol Fred Waller that includes national experts, police command staff and local community leaders.
They’ve been asked to develop recommendations outlining “strategies for enhancing community policing” by March 31. That includes ways to “break down the barriers between youth and police.”
“TO ENSURE EQUITY ACROSS THE CITY, WE MUST HAVE A FAIR, TRANSPARENT AND OBJECTIVE METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING BEAT OFFICER DEPLOYMENTS.” CHICAGO POLICE SUPT. EDDIE JOHNSON