Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday danced around the politically volatile subject of closing district police stations, maintaining that his singular focus is to get more police officers on the street.
“Everything I’m thinking about is how to strengthen the beat officer to fight crime — not the bureaucracy. ... It’s not a budgetary question. It’s a crime-fighting strategy,” the mayor said.
“Over the years, the beat officer and community policing have been hollowed out. The bureaucracy got fat. The whole strategy here is to ... strengthen the beat officer and make sure the bureaucracy doesn’t become the focus of fighting crime.”
Does that mean Chicago has too many district stations and could get along without a few to free dozens of officers for street duty?
Ramn Dances
Oh yeah, something big is in the works. Look at this guy twist, turn and weave:
That's exactly what Rahm means. He's just too crafty to get nailed down saying it out loud.