CHICAGO — Members of the Chicago City Council will get their first look at Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new plan for the Chicago Police Department on Tuesday.
The mayor’s 2024 spending plan would increase the overall CPD budget to nearly $2 billion.
Part of Johnson’s proposal includes spending nearly $5 million more next year on mental health services for law enforcement.
This is the new superintendent’s first budget hearing since being confirmed by the council last month.
CPD Supt. Larry Snelling will oversee changes in the department at the direction of Johnson, who is working to transform it. The mayor unveiled his budget plan a few weeks ago.
When it comes to public safety, Johnson wants to move close to 400 police jobs and make them civilian jobs, and also promote about 100 officers to the detective ranks.
Johnson said allowing civilians to do some of the work police are now doing will allow more officers to stay on the streets to do more law enforcement.
His budget also calls for increases to anti-violence programs and Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) 911 — when mental health experts would respond to calls for mental health help instead of police.
City council members are also expected to ask about officers ties to extreme groups, like Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. These two groups played a large role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
A Sun-Times WBEZ investigation over the weekend reported close to a dozen members of the department have been tied to the far-right groups.