WBBM asked for the Chicago mayoral candidates' responses to five of the top issues facing the city: education, crime, transportation, infrastructure and health.
The 2023 Chicago mayoral election will be held on February 28, 2023. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a runoff election will be held on April 4, 2023.
Below are the full responses from each candidate to this question:
Crime: What will you do to combat crime within the city?
Lori Lightfoot:
"The most important responsibility of any mayor is public safety. My goal is to make Chicago the safest big city in the country by creating lasting peace, not just episodic periods of peace in certain neighborhoods. We must get to a place where every resident, regardless of where they live, feels safe because they are safe. There are no simple solutions, and anyone who suggests there are either does not understand the complexities of crime or is not being honest.
I spend much of my time in communities across our city, listening and learning from Chicagoans and implementing solutions driven by residents, as well as continuing to push for the execution of our larger strategies. In my experience, residents want to know that there is a plan that makes sense and is getting results and that their unique experiences and concerns are being heard.
Now here’s our plan that we have been executing: we are taking a comprehensive approach to violent crime by tackling the scourge of illegal guns, holding violent dangerous people accountable, and investing in communities to address the root causes of violence.
The number one driver of violence in Chicago is the proliferation and ready access to illegal firearms. There are no simple solutions to this problem, particularly in the absence of federal common-sense gun reform. There are, however, impactful, multi-tiered solutions we have and will continue to deploy at the local level such as the recently passed ban on assault weapons in Illinois. These weapons of war are a clear and present danger to Chicagoans.
We must continue to seek additional ways to stem the flow of illegal guns into our city. For this reason, we do not hesitate to hold gun dealers—whether in-state or out-of-state—accountable for illegal guns that end up on Chicago’s streets. For example, we sued Westforth Sports, Inc., a Gary, Indiana gun dealer responsible for a pattern of illegal gun sales that were used in crimes in Chicago.
We also need to continue collaborating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to take advantage of federal laws against gun trafficking and straw purchasing. I will continue to advocate for additional resources to the ATF’s Chicago field division.
In addition to these efforts, our strategy centers on stopping violent people who use guns before they strike, pressing the courts and prosecutors to hold these people accountable, and making investments that give people, especially young men of color, an entrance to the legitimate economy. In 2022, we made progress in this important mission of public safety, but we have many more steps in our journey.
We’ve made progress because we focused on accountability in every part of the public safety ecosystem—accountability for me as Mayor, CPD leadership and officers, as well as the prosecutors and courts. This has meant using data-driven strategies to determine weekly police deployments and make nimble adjustments as necessary, with a focus on CPD working with other law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and county levels, and other municipalities, as well as street outreach workers, to proactively stop crimes before they happen, cut off the cycle of retaliatory shootings, take illegal guns off the streets, and hold violent individuals accountable.
Toward this end, we continued our investments and commitment to police and public safety. We created the new CPD Gun Investigations Team in 2021 to interrupt the illegal flow of guns into the city with our federal partners, and to seize expired Firearms Owners’ Identification Cards and guns from individuals in Chicago who no longer can legally possess them. Every patrol district is also focused on seizing illegal guns. Last year, CPD removed more than 12,700 illegal guns from our streets, including more than 1,000 assault weapons and 750 ghost guns.
We secured a $63 million increase in the CPD budget for 2023, bringing the total budget to nearly $2 billion, with funding set aside for additional recruitment and retention efforts, two new police helicopters, new technology and equipment for our officers, as well as resources to meet our consent decree obligations. We also continued our critical investments in officer wellness. CPD placed strict limits on canceled days off and imposed mandatory rest periods between shifts. In addition, CPD improved dated policies and procedures which facilitated the hiring of more than 950 new police officers in 2022, to keep pace with promotions and retirements, all amid a nationwide police staffing crisis. CPD also promoted nearly 300 new detectives.
CPD expanded the Vehicular Hijacking Task Force, which includes Chicago Police, Cook County Sheriffs, Illinois State Police, other regional municipalities, as well as federal law enforcement, to take on the increase in carjackings that Chicago and cities across the country have experienced in recent years.
A retail theft task force that we stood up in the face of the summer 2020 looting remains active, collaborating with businesses and security personnel from commercial districts citywide and particularly in the Central Business District and along Michigan Avenue.
In August 2021, we constituted the Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC) which coordinates public safety investments and responses both inside city government and with community partners. The CSCC convenes city personnel responsible for any aspect of public safety with emphasis on the reality that every city department—from infrastructure to public health, the Department of Family and Support Services, the Department of Housing, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, schools, parks, libraries, etc.—has an integral role to play in community safety. City departments now understand that they must work together, not in silos, to bring a coordinated whole-of-city approach to public safety.
The CSCC has been focused on the 15 communities that historically experience almost 50 percent of violence. In all of these communities, we work with key stakeholders, and ask “what will it take for you to feel safe?” The answer differs in each community, but we work to capitalize on the assets and opportunities available, working hand in hand with the community.
My administration has recognized that after decades of what was, in essence, a law enforcement first and only strategy, we cannot just arrest our way out of the problem–but we can and we must couple strategic use of law enforcement with a targeted investment strategy to build our way to lasting peace. We have focused on the root causes of violence and treated the problem as the public health epidemic that it is. The CSCC plays a key role in building up community capacity through tangible investments.
For example, we have committed to unprecedented investments to support youth and their families, such as the Service Coordination and Navigation program, which connects youth to mental health services, housing, education, training, and legal services. We dedicated 50 percent of our summer jobs to at-risk youth, and we expanded funding for CPS initiatives like Choose to Change and Back to Our Future, two programs that provide paid employment, mental health services, and mentors for at-risk youth. We also expanded the Narcotics Arrest Diversion Program, which redirects people with substance use disorders away from the criminal justice system and into medical treatment and rehabilitation. We launched the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement pilot program to respond to 9-1-1 calls related to mental health crises.
Response teams include specially trained paramedics, mental health clinicians, and police officers who have completed the city’s crisis intervention training. To support families at the earliest stages of a child’s life, we have scaled up the Family Connects program in which an R.N., in coordination with obstetrics hospitals, makes in-home visits within two to three weeks of a baby being released home after birth to do a well-being check to assist the mother and the baby and, where needed, to connect the family to social services.
In 2022, homicides dropped by 14%, shootings dropped by 20%, and carjackings by 10%. In the neighborhoods which were the focus of the CSCC, we saw, on average, homicides drop by 24% and shootings by 25%. In addition, there has been a measurable reduction in violent crimes in entertainment districts in River North and Motor Row, due in part to crackdowns on local businesses, especially those with late-night liquor licenses. We have far more work to do, but we are making progress.
The above is not an exhaustive list of all of the public safety investments or initiatives. We have more work to do, but given the hard, selfless work of so many across our city, it is important to note the progress made on this journey.
We must continue to focus on juvenile offenders. Rather than simply locking up juvenile offenders, we must give young people an off-ramp from criminal conduct through social services and other supports. This must be a part of the adjudication of their cases, and we will continue to push the courts to take a more holistic approach, rather than simply releasing these young people back to the streets without any meaningful intervention.
In addition, we saw an alarming spike in domestic violence-related homicides and shootings which drove the city’s violence statistics. These are tougher crimes to prevent and require deeper investments and collaboration with advocates and enhanced public marketing and engagement to help victims leave dangerous situations before a shooting or homicide occurs. We will also continue to press the criminal courts to do their essential part to hold violent people accountable pre-trial so that they do not continue to wreak havoc in our communities."
Willie Wilson:
"I will work with our communities to solve this crime. I will take the handcuffs off the police and put them on the criminals. This is personal for me. I lost a 20-year-old son to murder. I understand the pain that so many mothers and fathers experience in Chicago on a daily basis. We must address this violence with the same sense of urgency, seriousness, and resources as we used during COVID-19. The following is a plan developed through a series of town hall meetings. Implementing the following will help to make our city safer.
1. I will attack poverty with investment in people, education, and families. I will rebuild the trust with law enforcement and our communities.
2. I will divide the city into four police districts and have four superintendents of police. This will bring more accountability.
3. I will bring back foot patrols and real community policing.
4. I will require watch commanders to have 3-4 diverse police officers per car.
5. I will invest in witness protection programs.
6. I will bring back the CTA Police on trains and buses.
7. I will prioritize the hiring of veterans as police.
8. I will bring back retired police.
9. I will increase the salary of police and provide a housing allowance.
10. I will name a dedicated anti-gun violence coordinator in every city agency.
11. I will strengthen our CPD Detectives unit by making it more diverse and stronger.
12. I will create a hotline for all citizens to report crime directly to the mayor’s office. We will review this daily.
13. I will improve the morale among our police officers.
14. I will increase resources to help officers deal with mental health.
According to the UIC Great Cities Institute, 45.2 percent of Chicago’s 20–24-year-old Black males are out of school and out of work. The rate for White males is 7.2 percent. The rate for Latino males is 18.3 percent. To address this great inequity, I will do the following:
1. I will bring vocational education (Trades) back to our schools and require that each student have completed a trade before graduating from High School.
2. I will invest in job training and apprenticeship programs for people coming out of correctional institutions.
3. We must end the cycle of people reoffending, and everyone deserves a second chance.
4. I will prioritize at-risk young people with resources and opportunities for positive engagement.
5. I will invest in mental health and housing for people struggling with homelessness.
6. I will create a special unit made up of public health officials to deal with people experiencing mental health issues.
7. I will target city contracts to communities with the highest levels of poverty, unemployment, and violence.
8. I will create a Business Task Force to assist in bringing opportunities to communities devastated by violence and unemployment.
9. I will create a Business Mentor-Protegee program to assist our small businesses to do more business.
10. I will create a Business Task Force to assist our small businesses to do business internationally.
11. I will meet with diverse groups of business leaders to hear their challenges with access to capital and other issues quarterly.
12. I will continue to listen to all our citizens and incorporate their ideas to strengthen our city."
Brandon Johnson:
"Our sense of safety has been shattered in Chicago. The failures of the past have been repeated over and over. Meanwhile, carjackings, property theft, and shootings are skyrocketing — harming every neighborhood. It’s time for a new approach.
A new approach starts with reversing decades of underinvestment in our youth, mental health services, and victim support. As a teacher, I know we can get young people on the right track and steer them away from gun violence and carjackings by treating their trauma and giving them hope. We can enact major policy shifts on day one of my administration for a more efficient approach to stopping violent crime, strengthen police accountability and expand support for victims and survivors."
Ja'Mal Green:
"I have put forth a fifteen page plan called E.P.I.C., focusing on economic opportunity, prevention, intervention, and CPD reform. More about the E.P.I.C. Plan can be found at gogreenchicago.com."
Kam Buckner:
"The current administration hasn’t proven a commitment to addressing violent crime across Chicago – at a time when the city demands a plan to solve these issues, the Mayor is bringing nonsense “solutions” like closing city pools in the summer and instituting a curfew. The biggest reason why I’m running for mayor is to bring a true commitment to prioritizing public safety to City Hall.
Chicago is facing a crisis – we need a balanced approach to safety and justice to both address violent crime and tackle its root causes. Our city is currently failing to do the most basic work to make Chicago safe, like filling the hundreds of police vacancies. It’s not enough to just change policing in Chicago, we have to change the way Chicago views public safety entirely.
Putting my vision for public safety into place is a priority. The first policy plan I issued on my campaign is my Safer 77 Plan, which was the first comprehensive vision for public safety in this race and stood alone as the only public safety plan for months. My plan calls for both safety and justice to keep our city safe.
My administration will work to strengthen the existing public safety and justice structures in place, foster collaboration among law enforcement and the communities they serve, increase violence prevention investment, provide support for our first responders, and solve more crimes. The plan I have put in place will work to accomplish four key objectives:
1. Lower the murder rate
2. Increase the clearance rate
3. Repair the rift between communities and police officers
4. Restore morale and accountability
Additionally, we need to think beyond just policing and civilianize many sworn officer roles. My administration would develop the necessary mental health resources for police officers and communities, going further than the current co-responder pilot and having dedicated mental health professional teams appropriately answering calls, and investing in a true community policing model.
Public safety should protect us from risks across the city – lack of affordable housing options, an underfunded education system, and understaffed resources to support in a crisis. If we invest in these resources, Chicago can lead on what safety looks like. My full plan is available here."
Jesus "Chuy" Garcia:
"Public safety is the issue that I hear most about on the campaign trail, and it’s not particularly close.
Chicagoans feel less safe because they are less safe. They have lost trust in the Mayor’s ability to make our city safer and there is no trust between our communities and law enforcement. We have a Mayor who builds siloes instead of bridges. We have a Mayor whose public safety plan consists of standing by a failed Superintendent and telling street vendors to stop using cash so they don't get robbed.
I would fire the chief, prioritize hiring a Chicagoan to do the job, and create a fully-staffed, modern police department. We also need to address the root causes of violence. That means investing in our communities, our school — expanding career pathways, access to health care, wraparound services and more."
Roderick Sawyer:
"I have a robust public safety program posted on my website that makes the city safer on Day One of a Sawyer Administration, and I'd love for readers to check it out. We need to address the systemic issues that cause crime in Chicago, but we also need to make people feel safer immediately, because the "crime anxiety'' is a drag on every other issue in the city - our schools, our economy, our population, etc."
But I'll give you the short version here:
1) Create an auxiliary police department made up of retired officers, members of CFD and other public safety professionals who would be trained in things such as crowd management and responding to 911 calls when any immediate threat has passed. This would free up officers who should be working in communities, rather than street festivals, and help fix the unacceptable situation of having 911 calls go without a first responder or taking more than an hour for someone to respond. (Citizens who get no response or no timely response feel further traumatized and it gives the bad guys a head start.) Someone trained to respond does not need to be a sworn officer, but could get the appropriate details to get a report and description out on the police scanner quickly, because we know the quicker the response the more likelihood a crime is solved, and make sure the victim is referred for further investigative action and any services they might need from a protective order to mental health counseling.
2) Hire a superintendent from WITHIN the ranks of CPD who understands the culture of Chicago and our specific crime culture and who has the respect of the rank-and-file officers. I will then ask him to advise me on the best ways to recruit and promote new officers, return to community policing, run shifts and scheduling, and adopt new, modern, reformed police tactics.
3) I will remove about 250 police (mostly senior officers) from our airports and have them replaced with Federal officers so they could be returned to important police duties.
4) I will cancel the $100 million CTA security contract that has inexperienced, low-wage guards with dogs that make our transit system look like it's under a war-time siege and use that money to put sworn officers on the CTA. They will be a much bigger deterrent than guards with no arrest powers.
5) I will make CPD a destination department by starting a recruiting campaign that touts the following: * A city with the national standard in police reform and new Police District Councils (that were the product of my legislation) *A new, trusted, respected leader from the CPD ranks. *A department with state-of-the-art training in community policing, non-violent engagement and de-escalation *A force on which so long as they are not engaging in abusive conduct, our officers will be supported by the brass and the mayor.
6) A significantly bolstered array of mental health services for officers who seek help. Our CPD ranks are depleted, in part, because they are mentally and emotionally exhausted and in need of help that we can't provide through the abysmal mental health program in the department. I'll make sure there are far more mental health counselors for regular check-ins with officers, and make sure mental health services are available through their private insurance. The rash of police suicides Chicago has experienced is the most tragic proof of the department's complete mismanagement.
7) 20-year vesting for officers to make the department a far more flexible job that can lead officers to developing second careers beyond law enforcement. Elected officials are vested after 20 years, why wouldn't we offer the same benefit to the people who do our most dangerous and important work? It would also keep the department younger and always trained in the most modern techniques, though there always will be room for officers who want to stay beyond 20 years."
Paul Vallas:
"Confronting the city’s crime problem and ensuring our residents’ safety is my top priority. Our current situation is the direct consequence of a wholesale failure of leadership that has failed to provide police with the strategy, staffing, resources, and support needed for effective and collaborative community-informed policing.
I will rebuild sworn officer staffing from the current 11,710 to the fully appropriated 13,500 level that existed when I was the City of Chicago Budget Director and rebuild the Detective ranks to 10% overall staffing and supplement the Detectives Divisions with hundreds of retired Police officers.
I plan to support the return to a community policing model, which Supt. David Brown inexplicably and with devastating effect dismantled immediately upon his arrival. My community policing strategy would prioritize beat integrity and ensure every Beat Car is manned.
By replacing Supt. Brown and his leadership team, ending friends and family promotions, returning to a normal work schedule, and providing a supportive Mayor’s Office, we will restore the Chicago Police Department and make Chicago a safer place for all our residents."
Sophie King:
"In order to have a strong Chicago, we need a safe Chicago. I have laid out an extensive plan to create both Safety and Justice, we do not have to make false choices. We can uplift our police and hold them accountable. While arrests for violent criminals are of course necessary, we simply cannot only arrest our way out of crime. We need a comprehensive approach that is collaborative, community focused with both immediate and midterm impacts to address this issue.
To start, we can move CPD to 2-shifts. This will take gets up to 50% more boots on the ground per shift right away and better care of our police officers by giving police officers guaranteed multiple days off in a row every week to fight burnout. We need to immediately put more officers into the community by creating the Chicago Reserve — made up of 1,000 retired CPD officers; fill 1,600 police vacancies over the next two years; and distributing those officers more equitably.
By adding 200 more detectives to solve more murders and shootings by promoting officers and hiring back retired detectives. We need more detectives who can investigate and solve more murders and shootings. Right now, Chicago’s real case clearance rate is one of the worst in the nation, in part because detective units are grossly understaffed.
Finally, we need to recognize that in order to create both safety and justice we must address the root cause of this violence. To do that we can increase resources to violence intervention programs and creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention, scaling proven violence intervention programs with public and private investment to dramatically ramp up the hard work of moving young people from the streets to jobs.
It's time to move past the false choices we have been confronted with for so long, and move forward together towards a safer and stronger Chicago."
Read the full list of questions asked of the candidates here.