Thursday, April 30, 2009

Chicago Police net $20M in stimulus funds

Austin Weekly News:
Grants from the federal stimulus package will give the Chicago Police Department an extra $20 million to spend on overtime for officers and new equipment in the coming months, according to the department.

The funds come at an opportune time as crime typically increases with the temperatures. Critics, though, feel the extra cash should be spent on hiring new officers instead of paying an already strained force to work additional hours.

"Staffing is always a problem," said Mark P. Donahue, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge 7. "It's only gotten worse since last January."

But, he added, "As long as they spend it (stimulus funds) on manpower, we're for it."

Although the department isn't hiring any new officers with stimulus funding, spokesperson Roderick Drew said police will spend $9.1 million of the money to concentrate patrols in high-crime areas through a program called Project Safe City.
Also worth a read from the Austin

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