CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Mayor Brandon Johnson may be going back on a promise to spare the police department from a hiring freeze as his administration looks to fill a billion dollar hole in next year's budget.
At an emergency meeting yesterday, the mayor's chief operating officer told department heads to find another $75 million in budget cuts by Friday. That's according to the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported the police department will not be starting a new recruiting class for two months.
The personnel cuts would come on top of three percent cuts already made and are being framed as an exercise. The mayor has already delayed his budget announcement by two weeks. Public Safety Committee Chair Alderman Brian Hopkins told the paper the City is already short on police officers and having trouble recruiting.
Alderman Anthony Beale told the paper that it will have a huge impact on crime, which he sees as the city's number one issue.
If the cuts are designed to convince the City Council to approve a property tax hike, Hopkins said it's not going to fool anyone. He said we all understand the crisis that we're in is real.
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