Police Reallocation Could Mean Fewer Cops on North Side

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 22, 2010 2:35PM

Although Police Department Superintendent Jody Weis hasn't put together a plan yet to reallocate cops from lower crime districts to higher crime areas, a study by the Sun-Times shows that, if the plan was based on 911 calls and "radio assignments pending call events," police districts on the North Side would lose cops to higher crime districts on the South and West Sides.

Naturally, this has aldermen divided between those who want to protect what's theirs, such as 38th Ward Ald. Tom Allen, and those who are bullish on the reallocation plan like 6th Ward Ald. Freddrenna Lyle. Lyle , whose ward includes the Gresham and Englewood neighborhoods, said that cops in her ward are so busy responding to 911 and "RAP" calls that they can't do any preventative work.

Caught in the middle is Weis. The reallocation plan is mainly intended to placate aldermen who've been asking for more cops in their wards without calling for an actual redistricting plan, which all of them have balked at for the past three decades.