After loudly denouncing street violence and poor police service, a panel of Chicago aldermen Wednesday approved funding to help neighborhoods become involved in community policing.
They also lauded administration plans to hire more police this year.
During vigorous debate that began soon after the Finance Committee meeting started, Ald. William Beavers (7th) harangued Deputy Chief of Patrol Charles Ramsey, who is overseeing the year-old community-policing program.
Ramsey was testifying in support of a $1.2 million expenditure to pay for the recruitment and training of 50 civilian counselors who will help organize support when community policing is expanded to all 25 police districts next year.
But Beavers, who is chairman of the Police and Fire Committee and a former police officer, echoed the concerns of many colleagues by denouncing the quality of police service in the neighborhoods.
Saying among other things that taxpayers want quicker response times to their calls, Beavers told Ramsey: “If you call the police, if you flag one down, you know what he’ll do? He’ll wave at you and smile as like you’re waving at him. It’s ridiculous.”
Warming to the task, Beavers then related a weekend incident in his South Side neighborhood in which an officer assigned to investigate reports of shots fired allegedly ignored the call because he was writing a traffic ticket.
“The service is bad. I’m sick and tired about taking all the heat,” Beavers said. “Every complaint I get is police problems. You talk about community policing? Quit bull——– the people.”
Ald. Eugene Schulter (47th) picked up the charge, complaining about the refusal by police to allow community groups from his ward to have daily access to computer-stored information about crime in their neighborhoods.
“This is not East Cupcake, Ohio,” Schulter said. “I want to know why you cannot make us part of this network. I want that information.”
Later when the heated griping abated, Ramsey was asked to judge the success of community policing, launched last year as a pilot program in five districts. The homicide rates in those areas have generally increased at about the same pace as in other districts.
He said it was too early for a definitive answer because such programs take longer to become established and accepted.
The aldermen welcomed the news from Budget Director Paul Vallas that the city’s push to hire additional police is ahead of schedule. While the hiring of 470 officers over and above those lost to attrition had been budgeted for this year, Vallas reported funds had been found for 534 hires.
Before adjourning, the committee deferred consideration of a controversial $500,000 jobs contract agreement with the Chicago Urban League in which 21st Century VOTE, a registered political action committee, would be involved as a subcontractor. Mayor Richard Daley has called the organization a political front for the Gangster Disciples street gang.
The group has been selected by the Urban League to help place minorities on city and Chicago Transit Authority construction sites.
Committee Chairman Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) postponed a vote on the contract until after Urban League President James Compton testifies next week.
Some former 21st Century VOTE critics, such as Ald. Lorraine Dixon (8th), a top political aide to Cook County Commissioner John Stroger, said she would support the pact.
“I am deferring to the wisdom of the Urban League,” Dixon said. “They can chose their own subcontractors.”
But Ald. Lawrence Bloom (5th) said he would draft an amendment prohibiting the council from approving the transfer of Community Development block grants to any registered political group.
