Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said Tuesday that beat officers will now have to work overtime shifts in their “home districts” where they’re assigned — a change he hopes will make them more productive.
In the past, a beat officer in one district might work OT in a high-crime district across town.
Starting on July 1, district officers will work overtime in one of 25 high-crime zones — up from 19 zones — in their home districts.
Those high-crime zones are mostly located on the South and West sides.
“They already know the communities that they serve in, they know the geographic area, they know who’s who. So it should give us more productivity and promote more community engagement,” Johnson said in a news conference outside police headquarters at 35th and Michigan.
The overtime zones will be re-evaluated every 90 days.
“There is no shortage of people volunteering for the added overtime,” Johnson said.
But if the department can’t fill an OT shift in a particular high-crime zone, officers in special units that roam larger sections of the city — or the entire city — will be invited to participate, Johnson said.
Johnson said he will limit the amount of overtime officers can work to prevent them from becoming fatigued. He said OT is cheaper than hiring additional officers and paying the benefits a full-time job carries with it.
The announcement came after a weekend that saw eight people killed and another 47 wounded in shootings across the city.
With more than 20 people shot on Chicago expressways so far in 2016, the department also plans to start patrolling expressways with the Illinois State Police “in an effort to ensure public safety on the roads,” according to a statement by the department.
Police officials also announced the department will be increasing foot and bike patrol units across the city as another way to foster community relations.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported earlier this year that the Police Department spent a record $116.1 million on overtime in 2015 — up 17.2 percent from the previous year — to mask a manpower shortage that has mushroomed under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, with police retirements outpacing hiring by 975 officers.
At the time, Johnson called overtime a “valuable tool” that served an “important purpose.” But he directed his staff to analyze the use of overtime to “better manage how, when and why it is used and ensure we are making the best use of any overtime expense.”
The changes unveiled Tuesday appear to be less about controlling the amount of overtime and more about altering who will get the overtime and where those officers are assigned.
Contributing: Fran Spielman
