By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• An independent staffing study released April 1 found the Chicago Police Department needs hundreds more sworn officers and civilian employees to ease workload pressures.
• The 770-page report was mandated by a federal consent decree and conducted by Matrix Consulting Group.
• Report authors say reallocating duties to civilian staff could free officers for street work and improve supervision.
• Implementation could face challenges from union contracts and the city’s financial constraints, according to police leadership.
CHICAGO, IL — A newly released independent staffing study of the Chicago Police Department recommends hiring hundreds of additional sworn officers and civilian personnel to address uneven workload demands and improve department operations, officials said Wednesday.
The 770-page report, commissioned under a federal consent decree and completed by Matrix Consulting Group, calls for hundreds of new patrol officers and sergeants and a significant increase in civilian staff to take over administrative roles currently filled by sworn officers.
Department leaders said moving administrative responsibilities to civilian employees could allow more sworn officers to focus on street duties such as patrol and investigations, and could help improve supervision ratios.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said the recommendations are “guidance to help us become the most efficient department that we can possibly be,” noting that better staffing alignment could support response times and community policing efforts.
Officials acknowledged implementation may be limited by existing police union contracts and the city’s budgetary limitations, which have slowed hiring and training efforts in recent months.
The study’s release comes as Chicago continues efforts to comply with the federal consent decree aimed at police reform, and city leaders say recruitment and staffing remain priorities in addressing public safety needs.