Chicago police to end "scarecrow" police car tactic downtown
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Police Department is ending an initiative that posted officers working overtime in parked squad cars with their lights flashing at high profile locations downtown.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling is suspending the Strategic Deployment Initiative, which relied on using marked squad cars to act as crime deterrents downtown.
The effort was launched by his predecessor, former Supt. David Brown.
Officers who talked to CBS 2 called the assignment "scarecrow policing," and felt they weren't doing real police work. They thought it hurt morale and wasted resources.
The tactic will come to an end on Thursday.
