March 15, 2017

Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Police Superintendent Johnson Celebrate Graduation of 351 Officers, Detectives and Sergeants

CPD expands predictive policing strategy to additional districts

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson in commemorating the graduation of 351 officers in a ceremony at Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place, the largest graduation ceremony since 2011. The graduating class includes 80 new police officers and celebrates the promotion of 131 Detectives and 140 Sergeants.

“I am consistently impressed by the dedication, sense of duty and desire of police officers to serve the people of this great city,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The size of this class is proof of the department’s commitment to implementing its hiring plan as part of its public safety strategy. With this graduation, there are more officers on the beat, more supervisors to provide experienced guidance and more detectives to hold offenders accountable."

In addition to implementing the police department’s hiring plan, CPD continues to expand the tools and technology available to support officers in reducing violent crime. Now, officers deployed in the 9th and 15th police districts will also participate in the new strategy that makes district intelligence the driver of Chicago's crime fight. Already implemented in the 7th and 11th police districts, the new technology helps police get ahead of crime and prevent violence from happening in the first place. The technology includes dedicated Strategic Decision Support Centers, technology nerve centers housed inside the districts allowing for a more nuanced and more nimble approach, as well as district-wide gunshot detection technology, additional POD crime cameras, and mobile phones to officers in the field linking them to district intelligence officers and data analysts.

"The latest class of new CPD recruits and supervisors show firsthand our commitment to ensuring CPD has the resources and personnel it needs to reduce crime and continue our path to reform," said CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson. "Through their efforts, along with our investment in technology and dedication to revitalizing community policing, we will make CPD a model for 21st Century law enforcement."

Police recruits spent five months at the Police Academy and will now begin a 13-month Field Training Program as a Probationary Police Officer. Today’s graduating recruit class of 80 officers is 26% women and 54% nonwhite, and includes 24 Chicago Public School graduates, four veterans of 

the US military, 18 second generation Chicago Police officers and three third generation Chicago Police officers.
These new officers will be supported and supervised by 140 graduating Sergeants, who received six weeks of training at the Academy including Crisis Intervention Training. Detectives received eight weeks of training, and will be assigned directly to Chicago communities to work with residents in a partnership to address violence and add more resources into investigating and clearing cases.

This graduation continues to fulfill CPD’s hiring plan to grow the Department by nearly 1,000 sworn officers, including more detectives and police supervisors. Since the beginning of 2017, 178 new recruits, 53 Lieutenants, 143 Sergeants, 266 Detectives and 90 Field Training Officers have entered the Academy. On April 1st and 2nd, more than 16,500 candidates will be invited to take the Police Entry exam at McCormick place.