Budget Hassle

Larry hasn't even named a First Deputy yet, but he's getting tongue baths from the Tribune, having to re-live adjudicated scandals from the Slum Times and now, SeeBS Channel 2 is looking to hassle mayor BJ over the police budget, possibly hamstringing Larry before he gets started:

• When Brandon Johnson was running for mayor, much of the campaign focused on what changes he would make to the police department which has been operating under a consent decree since 2019, and has lost more than 1,000 officers during the pandemic.

  As mayor, Johnson's proposed $16.6 billion budget did not reduce the police department "by one penny," as he promised in March. The overall police budget actually increases from $1.9 to $1.99 billion. 

  And while newly appointed Supt. Larry Snelling can spool up new units and reorganize parts of the department, Johnson's proposed budget shows some modest, but noteworthy changes.

Changes? What kind of changes?

• The new budget increases the ranks of middle management, calling for 100 more sergeants, 20 more lieutenants, 10 more captains and three more commanders. The budget also makes good on the promise of adding 100 more detectives. The overall headcount of personnel actually increases slightly from about 13,976 in 2023 to a budgeted 14,072 full time positions next year.

What the media doesn't seem to realize - and the Department counts on them not realizing - is that 100 Detectives have to come from somewhere. They aren't just wished into existence. They're taken from the Officer ranks and trained up as Detectives, meaning 100 Detectives equals 100 Officers gone.

It's almost the same for Sergeants, but in a class of 100 Sergeants, about 40 come from the ranks of Detectives and 60 from Patrol Officers, meaning 100 other vacancies at those levels.

Then there's the retirements. If you wanted to retire in 2024, you have to declare by Autumn 2023 (unless you're sixty). We don't have the actual numbers in front of us, but we know a few dozen leaving in our circle and predictions were something over 400. We expect 500 or more due to the DNC.

The rest of the article is full of numbers, breakdowns of those numbers, and a surprising amount of errors, some quite large. Detectives (who have their own Bureau) are under Patrol? Typical media ignorance.