CHICAGO Chicago mayoral candidate and Ald. Sophia King on Thursday unveiled a plan to reinvigorate the city’s police department by enticing retired officers to return, expanding surveillance technology and overhauling work schedules to allow for more time off.
King, who represents the 4th Ward, rolled out her public safety platform as Chicago officers continue to grapple with morale and retention issues since the start of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s term, which has coincided with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and multiple rounds of civil unrest. And though shootings and homicides have slightly decreased this year compared to this point in 2021, a record year for violence, they remain higher than 2019 levels.
Crime and policing remain a key issue on the campaign trail leading up to the 2023 mayoral election. King, who announced her candidacy in August, is part of a currently eight-candidate field that includes more conservative-leaning figures who want to water down accountability measures and “let police be police” but also progressives who call for defunding or reallocating portions of the Chicago police budget.
