Black aldermen back reassigning officers - Chicago Sun-Times

Black aldermen back reassigning officers - Chicago Sun-Times

Aldermen Lyle and Brookins were quoted in this article where interim Police Chief Terry Hilliard wants to implement a new place for reassigning police officers:

African-American aldermen said Thursday they’re all for interim Police Supt. Terry Hillard’s plan to reassign officers from specialized units to the patrol division — but only if those freed-up officers go to high-crime districts.

Supt. Jody Weis resigned earlier this month before delivering on the police re-allocation he had promised.

So the next best thing might be Hillard’s plan to siphon 100 officers from the 260-member Mobile Strike Force — and possibly pull officers from other specialized units such as one that focuses on seizing guns from gang members — the aldermen said.

“We would prefer to have more police in the area on a regular basis than to have these paramilitary-type teams come in for a week or two, then leave. They don’t know the community. They don’t know the residents. They treat everybody like they’re a suspect or a criminal,” said Ald. Howard Brookins (21st).
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“If you’ve got one area where police are able to respond immediately and other areas where calls are stacked up waiting for service, you have to go where you’re needed,” said Lyle, who represents a South Side ward where two officers were shot within the last year.

Black aldermen will be “screaming again” if officers yanked out of specialized units are not reassigned to districts that need them most, Brookins added.

“There are districts on the North Side where police are trying to manufacture things to do. And there are districts like the 6th [on the South Side] that don’t have enough officers to answer serious calls — let alone the call for, ‘Somebody stole my bike or somebody stole my iPod out of my car,’ ” he said.