Chicago Mayor under fire after claiming campaign promise to hire 200 detectives is complete

CHICAGO, IL - A group of Chicago aldermen has accused embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson of engaging in a "shell game," accusing the Democrat of failing to honor his campaign pledge to add detectives to the Chicago Police Department's ranks.

The aldermen raised their concerns after WGN released an investigation showing that the department has hired only two detectives despite Johnson's vow to hire or promote 200. The outlet reported that at a budget address on Wednesday, during which Johnson proposed a blistering $300 Million property tax increase, he claimed to have fulfilled his pledge.
 

SHOCKING: Shortly after returning from a taxpayer funded trip to London for the NFL game, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has announced an increase of $300 million in property taxes for residents of Chicago. He says this increase is necessary to avoid layoffs and provide… pic.twitter.com/2v8e0NuH5q

— Alexander The Great (@GreatestAlexand) October 30, 2024

Johnson claimed during the meeting that the proposed tax increase is necessary to avoid layoffs and preserve essential services in the city.
 

“We have achieved that and we did it without increasing the number of sworn officers,” Johnson announced. However, Alderman Bill Conway told WGN, “I don’t quite know how he’s doing the math on that because it doesn’t make sense.”

Citing data from the city's inspector general the news outlet found that the number of detectives employed when Johnson took office was 1,102 and there are 1,104 now.

“I would say [the mayor’s] words are hollow words,” Alderman Marty Quinn said.  “To say you’ve made these promotions [while] not hiring new officers, you’re just playing a shell game with the numbers.”

Cutting the @ChicagoPolice budget would be ill-timed when we need more investments in public safety, not less. Every resident deserves safety and security in their community.

— Alderman Bill Conway (@AldConway) October 30, 2024

A spokesman for Johnson's office pivoted and interpreted the campaign vow to consider any detectives hired or promoted without taking into account attrition. However, as the WGN report outlined, Johnson said during a 2023 mayoral debate the network hosted, “We need 200 more detectives, because we need to solve crime… that’s why on day one, we’re going to move towards promoting and hiring 200 more detectives.”