Pursuits
As Chicagoans Die, Police Pension Burden Hobbles City’s Response
Chicago police investigate the fatal shooting of a 32-year-old man in the city's South Austin neighborhood, July 25, 2015.
Photographer: E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
An average of six Chicagoans have been shot each day this year, up from five in 2014. In its effort to respond to the carnage, the city is hamstrung by obligations to police, the very people it needs to protect the public.
With the second-largest number of sworn officers in the U.S., Chicago is struggling to pay an extra $550 million in pension obligations owed to public-safety workers. That leaves the city with little financial flexibility as homicides have risen more than 18 percent from last year and shootings 17 percent.