Overview
- Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2026 plan sets a $200 million ceiling on police overtime, with monthly disclosures and quarterly City Council reviews, and allows a mayoral override only for bona fide emergencies.
- Superintendent Larry Snelling said CPD will slow hiring to roughly 50 recruits per month and pause academy classes next summer, holding about 984 vacancies to achieve roughly $91 million in turnover savings without cutting sworn positions.
- Overtime outlays have long exceeded budgets ($283 million in 2023 and $238 million in 2024 on $100 million budgets), but CPD reports just over 2 million overtime hours through Sept. 30, down from 2.7 million in 2023.
- Snelling defended overtime as necessary for large events and protests and said tighter tracking and dashboards have reduced usage, expressing confidence the department can operate within the proposed cap.
- City officials outlined longer‑term moves including civilianizing administrative roles with a projected $100 million in 10‑year savings and planning bond issuance for a $90 million settlement tied to ex‑Sgt. Ronald Watts, while progressive groups urge shifting vacancy funds to community programs.