Law enforcement jobs in Chicago grow

Posted on February 28, 2019

The number of law enforcement jobs being filled in Chicago is growing.

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) announced the department’s latest deployments of 2019, with 95 new police officers assigned to neighborhoods across Chicago.

“Today, we’re not only putting more officers on the streets of Chicago, we’re also building on investments to ensure they have the best technology, the best tools and the best training needed to keep our city safe,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Each of these officers and new leaders are beginning a journey of service to this city and a commitment to our future.” 

The deployments reflect the operational needs and public safety strategies of CPD with more than two-thirds of the 95 officers being assigned to districts headquartered in South and West side neighborhoods. 

“We expect continued declines in overall crime throughout the city as a result of this system of shared knowledge,” said Superintendent Eddie Johnson. “Additional manpower such as what we are announcing today also plays a significant role in these reductions.”

Today’s deployment announcement follows over two years of consecutive declines in violent crimes, including a 10-year low in homicides and a 20-year low in robberies for the month of January.

The 95 new officers deploying citywide were part of the City of Chicago’s two-year hiring plan to add 970 additional officers to the Chicago Police Department, which was completed last year. Since January of 2018, 1,263 PPO’s have been deployed to their district assignments. The Districts receiving officers include: 1 (Central), 2 (Wentworth), 3 (Grand Crossing), 4 (South Chicago), 5 (Calumet), 6 (Gresham), 7 (Englewood), 8 (Chicago Lawn), 11 (Harrison), 12 (Near West).

During six months of training at Police Academy, officers learned all applicable laws and protocols for being a Chicago Police Officer. In addition to physical training, they received instruction in procedural justice, implicit bias, mental health awareness, crisis intervention and de-escalation, use of force, building community trust and critical thinking. This is followed by three months of field training, during which officers are paired with Field Training Officers for hands-on guidance during their initial months in the field.