By Fran Spielman
Chicago Sun-Times
CHICAGO — The City Council’s most powerful alderman urged Mayor Daley on Wednesday to ask off-duty police officers to work their days off to combat gang violence akin to “urban terrorism.”
Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, said Daley’s plan to ease a severe manpower shortage by hiring 100 more officers will take too long and fall far short.
If 100 recruits enter the police academy Sept. 1, it’ll be 24 weeks before they complete their training and hit the streets, he said.
“If you divide that 100 by 25 districts, you have maybe four officers per district. Divide that by three shifts and what have you got?” Burke said.
“I’d like to see the superintendent think about a program that was pretty successful in the 1970s where off-duty officers can be hired back in the district to make up for personnel shortages ... If there’s an emergency now, if we need personnel now -- the Police Department ought to consider the hire-back ... of existing police officers to work days off.”
Burke did not say how the officers would be paid, but union officials said they would demand that officers be paid at the time-and-a-half rate to work their off days.
Burke offered no specifics on the number of officers the city should extend the offer to or how much it would cost. But after three Chicago Police officers were gunned down over the last two months, he argued that the “emergency” is obvious.
Mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard called Burke’s suggestion “something to look at, perhaps.”
Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue said he would welcome a return of a so-called “hire-back” program not seen since the 1970s.
But he added, “If you’re asking these officers to work their days off, we would like it to be time-and-a-half.”
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.