Overview
- A coalition of city and county officials, faith leaders and advocates announced the plan at City Hall on Monday and said Ald. Ronnie Mosley will sponsor an ordinance this summer to create the department.
- Mayor Brandon Johnson signaled support for a permanent office and city leaders say the proposal would replace the mayor’s Office of Community Safety to provide sustained, citywide coordination of violence-prevention programs.
- Organizers propose an estimated $100 million annual budget drawn from existing public-safety allocations and want contracting and procurement authority to put violence interrupters and community groups on the city payroll.
- The push follows a recent mass shooting in Roseland and a surge of weekend shootings that organizers cited as urgent reasons to move from temporary programs to a codified department, while the Chicago Police Department has deferred comment to the mayor.
- Key details remain unresolved, including exact staffing and which budget lines will be reallocated, and backers aim to pass an ordinance before the fall budget process to make the department harder for a future mayor to undo.