Politics
Johnson Says It Is ‘Not Acceptable’ That CPD Overspent Its $2B Budget by $207M
Mayor Brandon Johnson (right), flanked by acting Comptroller Michael Belsky (left), addresses the news media on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday it is “not acceptable” that the Chicago Police Department exceeded its nearly $2 billion 2024 budget, approved by the Chicago City Council, by $207 million.
“No, it’s not acceptable,” Johnson told WTTW News at a City Hall news conference. “No one is going to agree that the overspending in this moment is something that we should accept or be OK with.”
CPD exceeded its 2024 personnel budget by approximately $127 million, according to the 2024 audit, even though the department has approximately 1,000 vacant positions, records show.
“There’s more work to be done,” Johnson said. “It is not acceptable.”
City officials have begun developing plans to bridge the likely deficit of nearly $1.2 billion that Chicago faces in its 2026 spending plan, according to the city’s most recent budget forecast.
WTTW News reported Monday that city officials have yet to detail exactly how much Chicago taxpayers spent to pay employees overtime in 2024. Most of the city’s overtime expenses are incurred by CPD, records show.
Johnson said he had spoken with Budget Director Annette Guzman and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling about the fact that CPD exceeded its budget by nearly 10% in an effort to rein in spending.
“We have seen overtime hours come down significantly,” Johnson said.
In 2023, CPD overspent its budget by more than $242 million, according to that year’s audited annual report.
Some of that overtime spending is incurred during the summer months, when officers working overtime are assigned to patrol large events and gatherings, forcing the city to foot those bills.
That has been a source of frustration for City Council members and mayors for decades. As part of the agreement that ensured the passage of the 2024 budget, Johnson agreed to craft new ways to force event organizers to pony up for police services.
“So there are some innovative element that has to take place here,” Johnson said. “I’ve spoken to the superintendent about ways in which we can be far more aggressive in reducing overtime. We’re headed in the right direction.”
In addition, CPD exceeded its budget to resolve lawsuits alleging misconduct or wrongdoing by $80 million, according to the 2024 audit.
The cost to resolve police misconduct lawsuits has risen because of strategy designed “to mitigate future financial risk and avoid protracted litigation,” said Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry, the city’s top lawyer.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
Reporting on policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
