Chicago Mayor Forced to Walk Back Hastily Issued Announcement Regarding Budget

After backlash, Mayor Brandon Johnson clarifies public safety roles exempt from citywide hiring freeze, other cuts such as overtime

Photo byNicole Yeary/flickr [CC BY 2.0]

CHICAGO - Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration has clarified that the city’s police and fire departments will be exempt from a recently announced hiring freeze aimed at addressing Chicago’s growing budget crisis. The decision comes after public pressure from first responders and their allies in the City Council.

On Monday, Johnson froze city hiring, restricted travel, and eliminated overtime not directly related to public safety in an effort to address a projected $223 million budget deficit by the end of the year. The city is also bracing for a $982.4 million shortfall in 2025. The initial announcement of the hiring freeze was presented as “across-the-board,” sparking concerns from the police and fire unions about the impact on already understaffed departments.

Brian Hopkins, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, commented on the administration's handling of the freeze. “Initially, we were told it’s an across-the-board hiring freeze. … They rushed the announcement without fully vetting it,” Hopkins said. “There was pushback from the aldermen, and they realized certain positions needed to be exempt.”

The city’s budget memo, issued by Budget Director Annette Guzman, appeared to include the $2 billion-a-year Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the $663.8 million Chicago Fire Department (CFD). CPD has faced staffing shortages for several years and is down approximately 2,000 sworn officers. CFD is also grappling with a shortage of paramedics, leading to what union leaders describe as ambulances "running night and day."

Pat Cleary, president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2, expressed alarm at the prospect of a hiring freeze. “How do you run a police or fire department with a hiring freeze? ... It’s gonna get bad. Crime is gonna get worse, and you’re gonna have more overworked employees,” Cleary said.

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, echoed these concerns, saying the freeze would be “devastating” to a department already struggling to keep up due to retirements and existing understaffing.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Office of Budget and Management, Lakesha Gage Woodard, clarified that public safety roles, including police and fire positions, would not be impacted by the freeze. “It’s not a change. This has always been the plan,” Gage Woodard said. “Public safety employees are exempt from the current hiring freeze. We are ensuring that essential services remain fully supported.”

The clarification has not completely eased concerns, particularly in neighborhoods experiencing rising crime. Alderman Matt O’Shea, who represents a ward that is home to many police officers and firefighters, stressed the urgency of maintaining proper staffing levels. “We are down more than 2,000 officers from where we were,” O’Shea said. “The response time for calls for ambulances and police officers cannot be extended, especially in areas facing gun violence.”

O’Shea highlighted the strain on paramedics, who are working longer hours due to the shortage of ambulances. The overtime costs, combined with burnout among emergency workers, are becoming significant issues for the city, he added.

Chicago Police Committee Chair Chris Taliaferro also weighed in, noting longer response times across the city. “We’re having officers unable to respond to low-priority calls within three, four, five hours sometimes. … I had a burglary that they never responded to. If we continue to lose police officers and not supplement them through hiring, it’s going to be bad,” Taliaferro said.

The pressure on the CPD and CFD comes as the city grapples with high crime rates. Chicago’s homicide rate remains one of the highest in the country, with over 400 homicides reported so far in 2024. The ongoing challenges of staffing shortages, increased workloads, and rising overtime costs pose additional hurdles for Johnson’s administration as it tries to balance public safety with budget constraints.