Demands for a full-blown Department of Environment, more funding for the homeless and mental health and hiring incentives to reverse a record pace of police retirements emerged Monday as pressure points during the first day of City Council hearings on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s $16.4 billion budget.
Although the police academy has been revving up and the Chicago Police Department’s recruiting team has been hitting military bases and college campuses nationwide, Budget Director Susie Park acknowledged police officers are still retiring faster than the city can hire replacements.
