Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson in welcoming 66 new recruits to the Training Academy. This month's recruit class will build on two years of consecutive declines in violent crimes, including a 44 percent decline in homicides and a 24 percent reduction in shootings compared to this same period last year.

"The recruits we celebrate today are part of the next generation of Chicago police officers that not only reflect the diversity of our great city but continue to strengthen how we serve Chicago and keep its residents safe," said Mayor Emanuel. "The recruits joining the academy today and every month over the past two years, represent part of a larger effort to improve public safety and spur a brighter future in every neighborhood that includes additional after-school programs, summer jobs, mentors, and economic opportunity.”

Today's 66 new police recruits also build on the City of Chicago’s two-year hiring plan to add 970 additional officers to the Chicago Police Department, which was completed last year. The ongoing hiring plan is part of Mayor Emanuel’s comprehensive public safety strategy - including investing in proactive intervention strategies in historically divested communities, expanding youth support services like mentoring for more at-risk youth and stimulating neighborhood economic development with programs like the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund.

"These new recruits represent the future of the Chicago Police Department," said Superintendent Johnson. "The officers will not only be tasked with keeping our city safe, but also building meaningful relationships within the communities they are sworn to serve and protect."

The Police Department is not only growing in total size but is also more diverse today than ever before. CPD has the most diverse leadership in the Department’s history and this new class builds on the progress that has been made, as the group of new recruits are 63 percent minority and 36 percent female.

“With this latest class of police recruits, the city continues to show its commitment to strengthening public safety in every neighborhood,” said Alderman Reboyras. “And the city is committed to ensuring that these young men and women – will receive the support, training, and resources they need to be successful partners in the community.”

During six months of training at Police Academy, recruits learn all applicable laws and protocols for being a Chicago Police Officer. In addition to physical training, they receive instruction in procedural justice, mental health awareness, crisis intervention and de-escalation, use of force, community building and critical thinking. When recruits graduate from the Academy, they will be detailed as probationary police officers to their district of assignment for one year, which includes cycles of assignment with a Field Training Officer (FTO).

After graduation, they will have access to new tools, technology, and resources to partner with the community and fight violent crime. That includes CPD’s district-based Strategic Decision Support Centers which launched this month in the 20th and 22nd districts, expanding the technology centers to nearly police district in the city. In each of the districts, new station-based strategic nerve centers, mobile technology, and crime cameras are deployed to assist in district-level crime strategies and investigations. 

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