By David Roeder
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Sunday he will move another 150 police officers from desk jobs to neighborhood beats, bringing him closer to fulfilling a campaign promise.
Emanuel had pledged to add 1,000 officers to neighborhood patrols despite budget constraints. The latest transfer of 150 brings the number to 650 officers redeployed during his month in office.
He said the additional officers are one part of a strategy to combat crime during the summer, which can be prime time for gang activity.
“More police on the street and getting kids, guns and drugs off the street, that is just the basic strategy that we have to follow,” Emanuel said at a stop with Police Supt. Garry McCarthy in Logan Square.
They spoke in front of the Illinois Centennial Monument, which was defaced with graffiti.
Area residents applauded the announcement and expressed concerns about recent local shootings, but good weather on Sunday let the neighborhood show off its vitality. Pedestrians along Milwaukee Avenue were headed to local restaurants and coffee shops, and a farmers market also drew a large crowd.
An alderman serving part of Logan Square, Ariel Reboyras (30th), said he applauds Emanuel and McCarthy for adding police to the street. “It’s what the neighborhood wants,” he said.
Reboyras acknowledged that budget cuts have made it harder to keep up with calls about graffiti, vacant buildings or other problems connected to crime.
The 150 officers will be spread among 15 districts and the permanent assignments will begin in a week, officials said. Districts that will receive more officers are Wentworth, Deering, Ogden, Monroe, Wood, Shakespeare, Albany Park, Near North, Belmont, Lincoln, Prairie, Morgan Park, Town Hall, Rogers Park and Grand Central.
With the latest move, all Chicago police districts except Central, which covers the Loop, and Jefferson Park on the far Northwest Side will be getting additional patrol officers.
“The single most important thing that we can do is get cops on the street, put them in the hands of commanders and hold the commanders accountable,” McCarthy said.
Last month, Emanuel ordered the redeployment of 500 officers from citywide units that were assigned to hot spots for crime. They were spread among eight districts with the highest overall crime rates.
The mayor credited aggressive police work with the arrests of 33 people in connection with recent attacks downtown and on the Near North Side.
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