• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
        Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
        Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
        Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
        Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
    • Labor
      • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
        Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
        Living in the ashes
        Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
        Florida sheriff’s office cites recruitment and retention crisis...
    • Tech
      • High-tech policing
        Open-source investigations
        Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
        Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
        Law enforcement warns about the dangers of Apple AirTags and unwanted...
    • Training
      • “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
        Crime prevention training
        So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
    • Policy
      • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
        Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
        New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
        DOJ announces online resource center for law enforcement agencies to...
        Florida bill creating election fraud police force becomes law
    • Health/Wellness
      • What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
        Supporting a partner in crisis
        Spiritual resilience
        Overcoming relationship communication challenges
        How visual simulation training can activate your trauma
    • Community
      • LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
        California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
        “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
        Treated like royalty
        Dispatchers: The unsung heroes
    • Offbeat
      • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
        Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
        Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
        Receding water levels in Lake Mead uncover barrel containing a dead...
        Pet duck helps North Carolina police solve murder mystery
    • We Remember
      • A living legacy
        Not in vain
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
        Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
        National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • On the Job
    • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
      Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
      Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
      Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
      Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
  • Labor
    • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
      Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
      Living in the ashes
      Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
      Florida sheriff’s office cites recruitment and retention crisis...
  • Tech
    • High-tech policing
      Open-source investigations
      Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
      Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
      Law enforcement warns about the dangers of Apple AirTags and unwanted...
  • Training
    • “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
      Crime prevention training
      So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
  • Policy
    • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
      Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
      New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
      DOJ announces online resource center for law enforcement agencies to...
      Florida bill creating election fraud police force becomes law
  • Health/Wellness
    • What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
      Supporting a partner in crisis
      Spiritual resilience
      Overcoming relationship communication challenges
      How visual simulation training can activate your trauma
  • Community
    • LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
      California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
      “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
      Treated like royalty
      Dispatchers: The unsung heroes
  • Offbeat
    • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
      Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
      Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
      Receding water levels in Lake Mead uncover barrel containing a dead...
      Pet duck helps North Carolina police solve murder mystery
  • We Remember
    • A living legacy
      Not in vain
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
      Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
      National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Labor

Chicago mayor asks CPD to “be creative” and recruit more minorities to counter retirements while police unions blame the mayor and city officials

APB Team Published June 30, 2021 @ 4:00 pm PDT

Chicago Police Department

After a wave of retirements in the Chicago Police Department, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that the department needs to get more aggressive on recruiting – especially when it comes to minorities – and hold more frequent entrance exams for recruits.

In a report by the Chicago Sun Times, retirements from the CPD in 2021 is on track to break record highs, already passing the total of 2018.

The police pension board recorded 363 retirements from January to June this year. Another 56 are expected to leave the department in the month of July. 

And this isn’t a new trend. Since 2018, officer retirements have been increasing for the past three years. From 2018 to 2020, the total number of retirements per year were 339, 475, and 560 respectively. 

And Chicago isn’t the only city experiencing a mass exodus of officers. In New York, 2,500 officers left last year – double the number from 2019.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s response was unremarkable. 

She called it a “challenging time, no question about it” for police retention and recruitment in Chicago and across the country, and said the CPD needs to be “creative” to counter the trend.

She went on to mention some new recruiting strategies.

“We’re gonna be reaching out to veterans in the military. The superintendent has plans to have a designated recruiting team, not unlike what the armed services do, as well,” Lightfoot said.

However, Lightfoot stressed that she doesn’t want the CPD to just recruit more officers – she wants to recruit minorities.

“We’ve got to do a better job of making sure that we’re bringing new talent, diverse talent into the pipeline to be Chicago Police,” she said. “We’ve got to do a better job, even in these challenging times when law enforcement is not viewed in the most positive light. It won’t change and it won’t get better if we don’t have diverse people in our neighborhoods who look like the people in the neighborhoods they are sworn to serve and protect.”

She also asked the CPD to increase the testing rate for recruits entering the academy.

“We’ve got to get on a better schedule of giving tests. That was slowed, obviously, as a result of COVID. We have limited capacity at our training academy. But we’ve got to get more people into the pipeline soon,” she added.

Police unions believe the problem of retirements can be found within the local government and the mayor herself.

Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara said the working conditions were “absolutely miserable” for officers, with12-hour shifts, canceled days off, and the continual threat of disciplinary action, which no doubt contributes to officers leaving.

“This department just doesn’t give a damn. You are literally treated like a rented mule and ridden until you can’t go any more. And then, on to the next. Today’s hero, tomorrow’s zero,” said Catanzara.

Speaking on behalf of retiring officers, Catanzara said, “They are not supported. They are in fear that this department has become so retaliatory for every little, even honest mistake. It’s just not worth risking their job, their employment history or, even worse, their freedom.”

Catanzara believes the solution is to overhaul the entire system, starting with city officials and those higher in the ranks of the CPD hierarchy. Simply put, they need new people in positions of power.

“A new mayor, a new superintendent and cleaning house over at 35th and Michigan to get rid of a lot of the upper echelon who just are going along with this policy, including the ones who are sitting silent, letting this go on and not speaking up because they’re trying to protect their gold, bright pension and they don’t want to get dumped because they know how bitter and vindictive this mayor can be,” Catanzara said.

Categories: Labor Tags: Police, Law Enforcement, Chicago, recruiting, minorities

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway shootings
  • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not have rights violated
  • Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade
  • Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
  • Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
  • Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck in tree
  • Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine hidden in unicorn backpack
  • “The hidden danger is the water”
  • NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to combat crime
  • Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2022 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.