Chicago Police Department
|
|
The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the U.S. Midwest and the second largest in the nation (with 13,619 sworn officers and 2,625 other employees as of 2003), and one of the oldest organized police forces in the world. Currently, the Chicago Police Department is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
There are twenty-five police districts, each led by a commander. Each commander oversees a network of administrative and operational departments that include patrol officers, detective forces, and other investigative units. Commanders report to the superintendent of police who in turn is subject to the authority of the mayor of Chicago.
| Contents |
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS)
The Chicago Police Department is often credited for advancing community policing through the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy program. Popularly called CAPS, it was established in 1992 and implemented in 1993 by Chicago Police Superintendent Matt L. Rodriguez. CAPS is an ongoing effort to bring communities, police, and other city agencies together to prevent crimes rather than react to crimes after they happen. The program entails increasing police presence in individual communities with a force of neighborhood-based beat officers. Beat Community Meetings are held regularly for community members and police officials to discuss potential problems and strategies.
Under CAPS, eight or nine beat officers are assigned to each of Chicago's 279 police beats. The officers patrol the same beat for over a year, allowing them to get to know community members, residents, and business owners and to become familiar with community attitudes and trends. The system also allows for those same community members to get to know their respective officers and learn to be comfortable in approaching them for help when needed. Beat officers are fully equipped and patrol their neighborhoods in a variety of methods: by bike, by car, or by foot.
Early years
When the town of Chicago was incorporated to become a city in 1837, provisions were made to elect an officer called the High Constable. He in turn would appoint a Common Constable from each of the six city wards. In 1855, the newly elected city council passed ordinances to formally establish the Chicago Police Department. Chicago was divided into three police precincts, each served by a station house. Station No. 1 was located in a building on State Street between Lake and Randolph streets. Station No. 2 was on West Randolph Street near Des Plaines Street. Station No. 3 was on Michigan Avenue near Clark Street. In 1860, the detective forces were established to investigate and solve crimes.
In 1861, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law creating a police board to become an executive department of Chicago autonomous of the mayor. The mayor was effectively stripped of his power to control the Chicago Police Department. Authority was given to three police commissioners. The commissioners created the office of superintendent to be the chief of police. The title is again in use today.
In 1875, the Illinois General Assembly found that the police commissioners were unable to control rampant corruption within the Chicago Police Department. The legislature passed a new law returning power over the police to the mayor. The mayor was allowed to appoint a single police commissioner with the advice and consent of the city council.
Summerdale scandals
The Chicago Police Department did not face large-scale reorganization efforts until 1960 under Mayor Richard J. Daley. That year, Chicago was hounded by the Summerdale scandals. Mayor Daley appointed a committee to make recommendations for improvements to the police system. The action resulted in the creation of a five-member police board charged with nominating a superintendent to be the chief authority over police officers, drafting and adopting rules and regulations governing the police system, submitting budget requests to the city council, and hearing and deciding disciplinary cases involving police officers.
Technological advances
- 1861, Police Patrol and Signal Service established with call boxes erected throughout Chicago so police officers could contact each other and respond to emergencies more efficiently
- 1884, Rogues' Gallery established to aid in the identification of suspects using the Bertillon system, taking exact physical measurements of arrested persons
- 1905, Murder Bureau established to use photography in solving crimes; fingerprinting was used to aid in the identification of suspects for the first time
- 1906, police cars were first used instead of horse-mounted patrols
- 1915, police department becomes completely motorized
- 1929, Chicago Tribune outfits the police department with one-way radio transmitters in squad cars
- 1932, calls were routed through centralized switchboards to facilitate efficient communication
- 1934, Accident Prevention Bureau established to aid in the protection of citizens as automobiles gained popularity and began taking over the streets of Chicago
- 1938, Scientific Crime Laboratory established as the police were finally allowed to pursue criminals using latest scientific methods being introduced to the world
- 1942, two-way radios were introduced
- 1947, squad cars were replaced by a combination ambulance and prisoner wagon called a squadrol
- 1952, walkie-talkie telephones were introduced; point-to-point communication systems allowed the police department to collaborate with county and state police
- 1957, Bureau of Identification established to use telephoto transmission to send photographs, fingerprints, and other pertinent data to police departments
Trivia
Saint Jude is the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department.
Resources
- City of Chicago (http://egov.cityofchicago.org/)
- Chicago Police Department (http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1246711571.1088180258@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceadclldfilelcefecelldffhdfhg.0&entityName=Police&entityNameEnumValue=33)