Mayor Brandon Johnson has made little progress hiring civilians to new administrative positions in the Chicago Police Department this year, leaving mostly unfulfilled his promise to move the cops now doing that work to the street to fight crime.
A year ago, the mayor earned plaudits from fiscal watchdogs and policing experts for pledging to create 398 civilian positions in his 2024 budget plan. It was part of a bid to shift desk duty roles away from sworn personnel, thereby freeing up them to do police work while cutting costs.
But as of this month, only 51 of those roles have been filled, according to the city's budget office.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
Subscribe to more newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy
A former supervisor with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city, alleging that he was fired last month after raising concerns of anti-police bias and unprofessionalism within the agency. Read more here.
More top news stories:
A 27-story skyscraper with 358 apartments and nearly 3,000 square feet of retail space would replace a 70-foot section on the northernmost edge of Church Street Plaza. Read more here.
More top business stories:
These are strange days for the Big Ten with the addition of four former Pac-12 teams and an 18-team race for the conference title with no divisions. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Falling between the Chicago and Hyde Park Jazz Fests every year, the Englewood bash tends to be "a joyous celebration of the jazz avant-garde," as former Tribune critic Howard Reich dubbed the festival at its 10-year mark. Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was charged today with federal gun crimes. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury. Read more here.