(CHICAGO) Some Chicago aldermen are skeptical of Mayor Emanuel’s plan to hire more police officers. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson wants to add 516 new officers to the police force, and while Mayor Rahm Emanuel is vowing to find the money to pay for it without raising property taxes, 32nd ward alderman Scott Waguespack told “The Big John and Ray Show” on WLS that the city could be setting itself up for even more financial problems. “That’s what got us into trouble in the first place in almost every deal or program that goes down. You know, nobody can figure out how to pay for it first and then you end up getting stuck with a much larger bill in the back end.”
Waguespack does agree that the police department is severely understaffed, and heavily reliant on police overtime, which he says leads to officer burnout. “In this case we know we need more police officers. It’s going to be difficult to sit there and say ‘No we don’t want the police officers’, because we absolutely need em.”
Listen to the interview on WLS-AM with Big John and Ray:
In addition to hiring 516 new officers, the department intends to give promotions to over 400 officers currently on the force. Emanuel is expected to more fully detail how the additional employees will be paid for when he delivers his 2017 budget in three weeks. The Mayor promises not to raise sales, gasoline, or property taxes.
@ 2016 WLS-AM News
