In a recent turn of events, Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago has decided to exclude the Chicago Police Department (CPD) from a proposed citywide hiring freeze.
This decision comes in the wake of a significant backlash, as reported by The Chicago Tribune.
According to the Tribune, the Johnson administration clarified on Wednesday that the citywide hiring freeze for government positions, which was announced on Monday, had always intended to exclude the CPD. This clarification, however, was not initially clear, leading to confusion among media and city council members. Annette Guzman, Chicago's Budget Director, had previously sent a memo stating that the hiring freeze would affect all city government departments and positions, seemingly including the CPD, as per the Chicago Sun-Times.
LaKesha Gage Woodard, a spokesperson for Johnsons budget team, confirmed to the Tribune that the CPD and the fire department were not part of the initial decision to freeze city hiring. This information, however, was not communicated clearly to some city council members. "I didnt know whether the hiring freeze applied to our first responders, our Police Department and Fire Department, said Chris Taliaferro, Chicago alderman and Johnsons police and fire committee chair. He further expressed his concerns to the Johnson administration, stating, I think it would be a bad decision for us to not exempt our police and fire, because we are constantly losing police officers and we cant keep up with attrition.
The hiring freeze was initially proposed as a measure to address a $982.4 million shortfall in the city budget projected for fiscal year 2025. The deficit is attributed to rising personnel, pension and contractual costs, alongside ongoing revenue challenges, as stated by Guzman on Monday, as reported by ABC 7.
Public Safety Committee Chair Brian Hopkins told the Chicago Sun-Times, Initially, we were told its an across-the-board hiring freeze. They rushed the announcement on a Monday morning without fully vetting it, not realizing that it was something they would have to walk back. There was pushback from the aldermen. They went back and realized there were positions they really needed to exempt from the hiring freeze.
Mayor Johnson's stance on the police has evolved over the years. During his 2023 mayoral campaign, he expressed that he didnt want to defund police but rather advocated for smart police. This position marked a significant shift from his 2020 stance following the George Floyd riots, when he declared that it was his political goal to defund police.
The mayors office has not yet responded to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment. This incident underscores the importance of clear communication in policy-making and the need for a balanced approach to budget cuts, particularly in areas as critical as public safety.
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