CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There has been talk of disbanding the Minneapolis Police Department after the death of George Floyd. It has happened in years past in south suburban Chicago. When police departments are disbanded or defunded, someone has to pick up the slack. Sometimes that it the local sheriff’s department and WBBM Newsradio talked to Cook County’s Sheriff about it.When south suburban Ford Heights ran into financial problems and lost police officers, the Cook County Sheriff’s office had to step in. That was in 2008, and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said "one day the police department just left, and the question was really straight forward: is it something that we feel is appropriate to have a town with no police function, at all? And it was clear no one thought that would be a good idea."
Dart said based on most legal interpretations his department would be required to come in and take over and that’s what they did, but it’s taxing on his budget and his officers.
His department also has a presence in Harvey, Dolton and Riverdale due to budget and police shortages, and "we have been brought into so many communities and it's inconceivable to think coming into Chicago, in any major way, I couldn't even imagine how people could even think like that."
A group of Chicago Public School teachers, students and parents are calling for the defunding of the Chicago Police Department, and Sheriff Dart said "when the defunding issue comes up - I know passions are very high now and they should be, but there needs to be a lot of rational thought as to what exactly that means, what exactly that would end up doing, because I will tell you, anyone who would just end patrol of a police department needs to have a thorough plan."
Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently dismissed the idea of defunding the Chicago Police Department.