North Cook News

Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) has insisted that he and Chicago's new Mayor Brandon Johnson are on the same page when it comes to tackling the Windy City's rising crime rate and the need to bring more officers on board at the Chicago Police Department.

Pritzker appeared on FOX 32 Chicago's "Flannery Fired Up" on June 16 to discuss the issue and the daunting task of hiring more police officers.

"There's more emphasis on prevention than there ever has been before with the new mayor. And I'm grateful for that," Pritzker told Mike Flannery. "I think, you know, lifting up communities that have been poor and left out is the best way for us to make an enormous difference going forward at lowering our crime rate."

Pritzker said Johnson and the city now need to hire about 1,500 new police officers to replace officers who've left the Chicago Police Department. He said these new officers would help veterans patrol Chicago's streets to keep the city's rising crime rate and increase in violent offenses in check, especially with the summer months rapidly approaching, when more people will be out and about across the city. 

Pritzker told Fox 32 the new plan will devote more effort to prevention than any other he can recall in recent times. He knows the task of finding new officers won't be easy because there are ample job opportunities available for people across many different sectors. But still, he said, hiring police should be a priority.

"We've gotta hire police. There's no doubt about it, right? I mean, the Chicago Police Department has lost hundreds, I mean 1,500 police officers. And then we have a labor shortage in the country. Let alone here," Pritzker said during the segment. "And, I would say, there aren't enough people applying for any jobs."