This is such bad news.
While Chicago records a 36 percent jump in violent crime, the city is reeling from another devastating statistic: Chicago police staffing numbers have dropped to the lowest they’ve been in recent history.
According to a report by FOX News, by the end of March, the Chicago police department’s internal records show that more than 300 uniformed members had either resigned or retired, and a dozen or so had stepped down.
At the beginning of this year, the CPD had employed 11,983 sworn officers, which was a sharp decline from 2021’s figures when the department employed 12,739 sworn officers. However, this year marks the lowest figure in recent history, with the CPD now only employing 11,669 sworn officers.
So far, 2021 has been the highest year in recent history, for uniformed personnel resignation, with 965 uniformed personnel resigning from the CPD.
To combat this speedy decline, CPD’s top brass are prioritizing the need for recruitment, a move that comes as the department has kickstarted a campaign to hire more uniformed members and a decision to loosen requirements.
Early in March, CPD Superintendent David O. Brown revealed that, for certain candidates, the eligibility criteria to have at least 60 college credits would be waved, and the department would be introducing online testing opportunities.
