Chicago Police Department – BGA Policy 2025 Budget Snapshot

The Chicago Police Department is the city's largest department both in headcount and in overall funds appropriated, with nearly three times the positions budgeted as the next-largest Chicago Fire Department. CPD makes up slightly less than 40% of the city's entire workforce, and slightly under 20% of all departmental appropriations.

Departmental Highlights

Snapshot: Appropriation & Staffing Changes from 2024 Budget

• CPD is primarily funded out of the city's corporate fund, the largest department to be so and the department with the largest share of corporate fund appropriations. CPD appropriations account for roughly 32.2% of all corporate fund appropriations in the 2025 budget. CPD's corporate fund appropriations are up $71 million (4.1%) from last year in the current budget, with increases in appropriations from the airport fund and local and private grants as well.
• CPD saw an overall reduction of 456 positions from the previous year, a -3.2% decline in budgeted workforce.
  • AFSCME 31, which represents the majority of the department's non-sworn personnel, saw the largest cuts proportionally and overall, with 211 positions eliminated for a -30% reduction in workforce.
  • Exempt and non-represented positions saw the next-largest net reductions, followed by the Fraternal Order of Police with 90 positions eliminated - the latter, however, represents only a -0.8% reduction in the represented workforce, compared to double digits for AFSCME, non-represented positions, SEIU 73/IBEW 21 (which represents the department's detention aides), and captains' association.
  • 118 police officer positions were eliminated, with 64 new positions created for various police officer assignment positions, for a net reduction in officer titles of 54 positions.
• The largest non-personnel appropriation for CPD (other than the new "reserve balance" appropriation from grant funds) is the department's $82.5 million appropriation for legal judgments and settlements. A 2022 BGA Policy analysis found that the actual cost of CPD judgments and settlements had exceeded its budgeted amount every year but one since 2010, a trend which has continued in recent years. The $82.5 million appropriation has held flat since in was raised from $35 million in the 2020 budget.
• As with several other departments, CPD's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.
• Apart from the new reserve balance appropriation, salary costs saw the largest net increases over the previous year's budget, with salaries and wages on payroll up $77.2 million (5.7%) from 2024 and scheduled salary adjustments up $1.4 million (12.5%).
• Outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation saw the largest net reduction from the previous year, down -$145.6 million (-89%) from 2024.

Historical Context

CPD did not receive American Rescue Plan funding following the outbreak of COVID-19. Like other non-ARP departments, CPD's share of the overall budget and of overall departmental budgets dropped due to the injection of federal funds into departments with ARP-funded programming or revenue replacement. As pandemic funding expires, CPD's percentage of the overall budget has begun to rise again.

From 2011-2024, the department budget grew at an average rate of 3.3% annually. Departmental budgets overall increased an average of 6.1% per year over the same time period.

CPD's total budgeted workforce has declined at a rate of roughly 0.8% per year from 2011-2023. It remains the largest department by far, having declined from approximately 43% of the total city workforce to approximately 38%.

The 2025 proposed budget increases CPD's budget by 3.9%, slightly more than the department's historical average and larger than the 2.2% citywide increase in appropriations overall.

Staffing

CPD saw an overall reduction of 456 positions from the previous year, a -3.2% decline in budgeted workforce.

Bargaining Unit/Sworn and Unsworn Positions

AFSCME 31, which represents the majority of the department's non-sworn personnel, saw the largest cuts proportionally and overall, with 211 positions eliminated for a -30% reduction in workforce.

Exempt and non-represented positions saw the next-largest net reductions, followed by the Fraternal Order of Police with 90 positions eliminated - the latter, however, represents only a -0.8% reduction in the represented workforce, compared to double digits for AFSCME, non-represented positions, SEIU 73/IBEW 21 (which represents the department's detention aides), and captains' association.

Positions Overall

The largest net reduction in positions was within the Police Officer position. 118 police officers positions were eliminated, with 64 new positions created for various police officer assignment positions, for a net reduction of 54 positions.

The 2025 budget partially undoes some of the extensive promotions and title/role changes included in the 2024 budget. Last year's budget added a net increase of 100 training officer, 100 sergeant, 20 lieutenant, five captain, three commander, six assistant director, and two deputy director positions. This year those positions have been reduced, but in most cases by less than the 2024 increase, with the eliminations of 71 training officer, four captain, four commander, and one deputy director position, and the addition of two assistant director positions. Sergeant and lieutenant positions are unchanged from 2024.

Appropriations

CPD is primarily funded out of the city's corporate fund, the largest department to be so and the department with the largest share of corporate fund appropriations. CPD appropriations account for roughly 32.2% of all corporate fund appropriations in the 2025 budget.

CPD's corporate fund appropriations are up $71 million (4.1%) from last year in the current budget, with increases in appropriations from the airport fund and local and private grants as well.

Largest Appropriations

Salaries and wages are the largest appropriation for the personnel-heavy police department, and other personnel-related appropriations make up the bulk of the department's largest appropriations. Overtime, duty availability, comp time, salary provision, medical coverage, uniform allowance, and furlough/comp time buyback are all among the top 10 CPD appropriations.

The largest non-personnel appropriation for CPD, other than the new "reserve balance" appropriation from grant fonts, is the department's $82.5 million appropriation for legal judgements and settlements. A 2022 BGA Policy analysis found that the actual cost of CPD judgements and settlements had exceeded its budgeted amount every year but one since 2010, a trend which has continued in recent years. The $82.5 million appropriation has held flat since in was raised from $35 million in the 2020 budget.

Change from Previous Year

As with several other departments, CPD's budget includes a "reserve balance" appropriation from a number of grant funds. This appropriation, which appears in several department's budgets and has been retroactively added to 2024 appropriations data as well, was not used in the previous year's budget at the time of its passage. BGA Policy has reached out to the Office of Budget and Management for clarification of this appropriation's purpose and has not yet received a reply.

Apart from the new reserve balance appropriation, salary costs saw the largest net increases over the previous year's budget, with salaries and wages on payroll up $77.2 million (5.7%) from 2024 and scheduled salary adjustments up $1.4 million (12.5%).

Outside contracting through the professional and technical services appropriation saw the largest net reduction from the previous year, down -$145.6 million (-89%) from 2024.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.