- Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, joined Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on a conference call with other law enforcement leaders to brief them on elements of the Administration's jobs plan which will be laid out by President Barack H. Obama II in a speech to a joint session of Congress tonight.
Vice President Biden revealed that the Administration will call on Congress to make $4 billion available for the hiring program administered by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). He noted that there were approximately 30,000 unfilled law enforcement positions nationwide and more than 10,000 officers who have been laid off in just the past year.
30,000 openings? And from what we read, almost 2,000 of them are here in Chicago? What does that tell anyone about the state of our Department? What does that tell anyone planning mayhem next May about our readiness?