Citing a spike in crime, Chicago aldermen want a new police district in their neighborhood
CHICAGO (CBS) — A group of southwest side aldermen don't just want more police officers in their wards.
They want a whole new police district.
And now Illinois lawmakers are getting involved.
Southwest side primary voters seemed pretty convinced. More than 87% voted yes on a referendum asking if Chicago should create a new police district.
Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) and Ald. Silvana Tabaras (23rd) are leading the charge.
"I have a clear obligation to work to get this done. You have concerns of police patrol," Quinn said.
"We want to make sure when residents call 911 that they're help right around the corner," Tabaras said. "People saying 'well, what's the next step?'"
And they said it's hard to argue with the numbers.
The 8th District serves over 250,000 residents, the most of any district.
This means there are about 10 officers for every 10,000 residents, the lowest ratio in the city.
"There's a discrepancy here. It's not fair. I think it's dangerous, and we're seeing an uptick in crime," Quinn said.
The 8th District had a 6% increase in violent crime from 2022 to 2023. Data from the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications shows that calls for service are piling up.
Since 2020, the 8th District, in particular, has been put into a backlog over 1,000 times.
"That's not acceptable," Tabaras said.
That's why they're eyeing the former Army National Guard Midway Armory building, which the state currently owns.
This week, lawmakers plan to introduce House and Senate versions of a bill related to acquiring the property, which is currently earmarked for the Chicago Department of Aviation.
They're also looking at the now-vacant St. Camillus campus owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago.
"From a safety standpoint, from an equity standpoint, I think we're heading in the right direction," Quinn said.
So far, there's no comment from the Chicago Police Department.
