Emanuel Pulling 150 Cops From Desk Jobs to Streets

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jun 13, 2011 1:00PM

Mayor Emanuel jokes about how today doesn't count as a furlough day. (Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist)

With the recent assaults in Streeterville and other neighborhoods fresh in peoples' memory, Mayor Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy announced a plan to transfer 150 cops from desk jobs to street beats yesterday.

Coupled with Emanuel's announcement a couple weeks back that 500 officers were being transferred on a temporary basis from the Mobile Strike Force and targeted Response Units to neighborhoods in the city with the highest crime rates, these can be viewed as the mayor acting on his campaign pledge to add 1,000 police to the streets.

Emanuel and McCarthy made the announcement at the Illinois Centennial Monument in Logan Square. In addition to going towards fulfilling his campaign pledge, Emanuel said the move is aimed at targeting gang activity in warm weather, where it's usually on the rise.

the move also is indicative of the CompStat system McCarthy used during his time in the New York Police Department.

“The single most important thing that we can do is get cops on the street, put them in the hands of commanders and hold the commanders accountable,” McCarthy said.

The 150 officers will come from administrative posts, including from McCarthy's central office and will reassigned to their new beats June 19. "Every part of the city will be covered," Emanuel said.

the mayor also said he isn't done going through the department looking for other ways to transfer more police to the streets.