Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Eddie Johnson today announced that 83 officers have been deployed to their district assignments, as part of the plan to grow the Department by 970 police officers. As part of the implementation of the hiring plan, new officers will be deployed to districts each month into 2019.

“These men and women answered the call to protect their communities, serve their city and ‘Be The Change,’” said Mayor Emanuel. “But while we are on the path and heading in the right direction, there is more work to be done. We are one Chicago with one future, and they are going to be part of ensuring it is a safer, stronger future for all of us.”

After successfully completing their training at the Academy in [fact checking] November 2017, they have now completed their initial field training and are being sent to their first district detail. The new officers will benefit from the new in-service training requirement, which begins with 16-hours of mandatory training and will necessitate that all Department members to take 40 hours of continuing education annually by 2021. These officers also benefited from a new cultural awareness course taught at the DuSable Museum of African American History, and new de-escalation, crisis intervention and procedural justice modules.

“Today, neighborhoods across the City are welcoming new police officers that have been trained to focus their efforts on making our streets safer and building partnerships with residents to become true community police officers,” said Superintendent Johnson. “These new officers have received training based upon best practices in law enforcement and will be among the first officers to receive annual training throughout their entire career. This is an exciting time to join CPD and I encourage anyone who wants to help us make this Department better to apply during this application period.”

Since the start of 2017, more than a thousand new recruits have entered Police Academy to train to become police officers. During the six-month police academy, recruits learn all applicable laws and protocols for being a Chicago Police Officer. In addition to physical training, they receive instruction in procedural justice, crisis intervention and de-escalation, use of force, community building and critical thinking. This was followed by three months of field training, during which officers are paired with Field Training Officers for hands-on guidance during their first in-the-field months.

The City is now accepting applications for the next Police Entry Exam. The ongoing “Be the Change” recruitment campaign which reflects the belief that this new generation of police officers will lay the groundwork for a more diverse department and be future leaders who define how police support, protect and work together with Chicago's communities. The May 2018 exam will be the fifth test administered under the Emanuel Administration, with increasingly concerted efforts made to expand the diversity of applicants and make the exam more accessible.

Candidates can register online to take the Police Entry Exam on May 5 at McCormick Place. Registration is open through February 28, 2018.

To learn more and apply, please visit: www.chicagopolice.org/bethechange.

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