June 24--Chicago police are requiring that thousands of officers work extended hours over the upcoming Fourth of July weekend as shootings and homicides continue to outpace last year's levels.
The holiday weekend is often one of the Police Department's biggest challenges, juggling crowd control at fireworks displays, other festivities and this year the Grateful Dead concerts at Soldier Field. It can also be among the most violent weekends of the year. Last year, during an 84-hour period, more than 80 people were shot, 16 fatally.
According to a memo distributed to officers and obtained by the Tribune, patrol officers assigned to the first or second shifts will work up to 12 1/2 hours July 3, 4, 5 and 6, up from the usual 8 1/2-hour shifts.
That could significantly boost overtime costs.
Officers who normally work the third shift will have their hours adjusted "as needed" for the Fourth of July weekend, the memo said.
The "as needed" officers will get their work assignments from either the bureau of patrol or special events section, not their normal districts, according to the memo.
The Police Department used a similar strategy to cover the crowds and protests for the NATO summit in the spring of 2012.
A Police Department spokeswoman had no immediate comment Tuesday afternoon, but the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file officers, issued a statement calling the extended hours "another prime example" of the department's "overall lack of manpower."
To cover the July Fourth weekend last year, officers worked overtime, while tactical officers, normally dressed in plainclothes, were ordered to wear uniforms to increase the police presence. The weekend's violence drew national attention.
Through mid-June, both shootings and homicides are up sharply compared with the same period last year, according to the department's own numbers. Homicides have risen to 183 from 155, up 18 percent, while shooting incidents climbed to 923 from 771, up 20 percent, the department said.
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