(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is not saying exactly how much taxpayers will pay for his new Office of Gun Violence Reduction, but he wants another $20 million to fund jobs for young people.
The mayor signed an executive order Thursday to establish the new office, saying the agency would be tasked with coordinating violence prevention efforts, victim services and community safety investments.
A reporter asked Johnson if his current community safety office would be disbanded.
“The Mayor’s Office of Community Safety will still function and exist,” said the mayor.
Johnson said the OCS deals with the fire department, the Office of Emergency Management and other departments in addition to just police.
The mayor did not directly answer a question about how much the new department might cost.
“You mean to tell me that with 31,000 jobs that we’ve offered, 57,000 children applied, that as a city we cannot figure out how to come up with another $20 million to make sure that every young person and young adult who wants a job can have a job?” Johnson asked.
The mayor said the ultra wealthy and big corporations should be held accountable.
Chicago Republican Party chairman Chuck Hernandez, a former Chicago Police Department detective, said the new department is a scheme to siphon funds away from law enforcement.
“We already have a department for gun violence and reduction. It’s called the Chicago Police Department,” Hernandez told The Center Square.
Hernandez said he sees the mayor’s executive order as futile.
“This is bad public policy, a gigantic waste of taxpayer money and it ultimately highlights Brandon Johnson’s complete lack of courage and unwillingness to combat violent crime in Chicago,” Hernandez said.
Retired Riverside, Illinois police chief Thomas Weitzel said the new department is not just a scheme, but a scam.
“It creates bureaucracy instead of deploying officers, that’s what this will do. That’s not good, and nor are there any measurable outcomes that will come from that,” Weitzel said.
The mayor promised that the new office would work with those on the front lines, including police officers and community violence intervention partners.
Johnson said it actually costs more when you disinvest.
“For decades, the people of Chicago have been demanding more from city government, and today, city government responds to those demands,” the mayor said.
