Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling lays out department's challenges at City Council budget hearing
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One day after the Chicago City Council voted down Mayor Brandon Johnson's $300 million property tax hike, alders sat down again to talk money—this time with regard to the Chicago Police Department.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling did not ask for more dollars. But he did present a case for the department to have the budget it needs for officers to do their jobs each day.
Snelling talked about the department's successes. He also laid out the challenges the department is facing—and how, following the imposition of a consent decree, it can help to create a culture change to form a top police department in the country.
"We need to find a much better way to work together to solve these problems," Snelling said in City Council Chambers.
The consent decree was ordered by a federal court in 2019. The decree's purpose was to end CPD's decades of systemic and excessive use of force in communities of color that contributes to the erosion of trust in the community. It also targeted the department's failure to hold officers accountable.
Snelling said officers have always put the safety of the public before their own, and go into some of the most volatile situations without thinking about themselves. He said while there is both praise and often criticism officers, they do their job.
"Because they understand the importance of keeping the city safe, because they see the dangers on the street every single day," Snelling said.
The superintendent also said the increase in high-capacity weapons has made being a police officer an increasingly dangerous job.
Since 2020, 330 police officers have been shot at. Thirty-eight of them, were shot, injured, or killed.
In the past four years, the department has lost five officers in the line of duty—officers Ella French, Andrés Vásquez Lasso, Aréanah Preston, Luis Huesca, and most recently Enrique Martinez.
While problems have been addressed, Snelling said more work needs to be done—and reform efforts are a priority.
"We are a department in transformation. We made a lot of progress and will continue full steam ahead to fulfill the obligations of our consent decree," Snelling said. "This is an opportunity to create the best possible department that we can for our officers, for our city, and for our citizens. It's not just about a document. It's about a culture change. It's about a lifestyle, a way of life. That's what we're working toward."
A focus on officer wellness
The superintendent also talked about making officer wellness a top priority, so that communities have the best police force.
"An officer who cannot protect himself cannot protect you," he said.
Snelling said there are now two new, officer assistance centers—one on the North Side, the other on the South Side—so officers have access to resources.
"Wellness is extremely important," Snelling said. "If we send an officer out to the street who is unwell cognitively, that officer is going to make mistakes."
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said it is important nine vacancies for mental health clinicians will not be terminated in the 2025 budget for the Chicago Police Department. He says clinicians in other large departments like that of Los Angeles have drastically decreased officer suicides.
"It was just a way of being able to treat our officers if there is a need," Tailaferro said.
Concerns about unpaid overtime
During the hearing, Taliaferro asked Snelling about the use of officers for city festivals, and if the city is being reimbursed for the money spent on the officer overtime.
The CBS News Chicago Investigators have been digging into police overtime at street festivals. From 2021 to 2023, police officers worked 27,000 hours of overtime to patrol the events. The overtime has gone unpaid, likely costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
"That comes out of our overtime budget, and there are a lot of times where CPD is criticized for overtime expenses—when CPD had no say-so in what events are being approved, and that information does not get to us right away," Snelling said. "We need to do a much better of job of holding event planners accountable for security and reimbursement."
This year alone, $22.6 million was spent on officers at city events. The city has only been reimbursed for two events—Lollapalooza and the Chase Corporate Challenge.
Ald. Taliaferro asked for a full list of all the events.
