Police departments across the United States are facing significant challenges in recruiting officers, leading to various strategies to attract candidates. The DC Police are offering a $25,000 hiring bonus, a starting salary of $66,419, and $6,000 in rental assistance to incentivize recruits. Similarly, the Seattle Police Department's efforts to offer $30,000 bonuses have been hampered by comparatively low wages. In Chicago, the police department spent $293 million on overtime in the last year, 40% more than in 2022 and nearly three times the $100 million budgeted for police overtime by the City Council. This surge in overtime spending includes 283 CPD workers who made more than $100,000 in overtime alone. It is part of a broader trend in Chicago, where the city spent approximately $524 million on employee overtime in 2023, a 19% increase from the previous year, with more than half of this amount compensating Chicago Police Department officers for extra hours. This overtime expenditure has contributed to a 62% increase in the city's total overtime bill since 2019, costing taxpayers an additional $202 million.
TONIGHT ON THE CBS 2 NEWS AT 10: An FBI program that is supposed to make communities safer is failing many Chicagoans. It’s operating in secrecy, and some call it a tool of racial profiling. And your tax dollars are paying for it. @MeganHickeyTV investigates, at 10. https://t.co/jPgOc8yb9q
"Chicago Tonight" is live at 5:30. Chicago’s whopping overtime bill. Are chronic pain sufferers the latest victims of the opioid crisis? And the race for Cook County state’s attorney heats up. Watch: https://t.co/8YF8gvzrov
This lack of transparency is a chronic problem with the @cta and makes it harder to hold them accountable. We can't get a better CTA without knowing what's going on internally, so we as advocates can have a conversation with them about how to better serve Chicagoans. https://t.co/Rl1ZQv6nRk
The CTA continued to rely on bus and train operator overtime to keep the system running during 2023 — but the transit agency has yet to provide WTTW News with detailed information on operator hours, despite a formal request made nearly two months ago. https://t.co/UE3oZCUb5t
The City Council just pitched subsidized housing for cops. In 2022, nearly 50 SPD patrol officers made more than $200,000. One officer made that much JUST in overtime. Shout out to @DivestSPD for crunching these numbers. https://t.co/dyjUDY7wTw
CTA bus and train operators continued to prop up the struggling transit system by working plenty of overtime last year. Just how much OT? The agency still hasn't given @wttw News the information we asked for, in spite of a nearly two-month-old FOIA request https://t.co/ZXU4wRurN0
The city of Chicago spent approximately $524 million on employee overtime in 2023 — 19% more than in 2022, with more than half of the total amount used to compensate Chicago Police Department officers for working extra hours (w/ @HeatherCherone) https://t.co/jmaT7eMxpB
As police departments across the country struggle to recruit people for the job, Fort Lauderdale Police is trying something different. https://t.co/XyiWV8U61R
Chicago spent approximately $524 million on employee overtime in 2023 — 19% more than in 2022, with more than half of the total amount used to compensate CPD officers for working extra hours, according to records obtained by WTTW News. https://t.co/jco3Jf1QSU
Between 2019 and 2023, Chicago’s total overtime bill soared 62%, costing Chicago taxpayers an additional $202 million, according to data obtained by me and @jaredrutecki for @WTTW. (1/2) https://t.co/ImqYdJMPhx
Chicago spent a massive $293,000,000 on police overtime last year. The record spend includes 283 CPD workers who made more than $100,000 in overtime alone. The city's total overtime bill soared 62% since 2019, @HeatherCherone & @JaredRutecki report: https://t.co/xVQ4UVBIF2
NEW: Chicago Police spent $293M on overtime last year, 40% more than in 2022 and nearly 3 times the $100M earmarked for police overtime set by the City Council as part of the city’s 2023 budget, according to data obtained by me and @jaredrutecki for @WTTW. https://t.co/yOlVtTm6T2
SPD said comparatively low wages have hurt recruiting efforts, and worked against a program to offer $30,000 bonuses to attract officers. https://t.co/ZfTZ6fKit7
Right now, @wttw News’ series, A Safer City on #ChicagoTonight. @paschutz digging into why NYC’s and LA’s homicide rates are lower than Chicago’s. https://t.co/m21rILmymb
A WTTW News Safer City special: Why Chicago sees more homicides than other major cities. And the local organizations working to prevent that crime in their communities. Watch now: https://t.co/8YF8gvzrov
On subway ad, DC police will offer 25K Hiring bonus, starting salary of $66,419 & 6K rental assistance. Very attractive & it should incentivize recruits. Also another statement that joining a police force given climate faces headwinds