After Meeting With President Biden, CPD Supt. Brown Will Implement Platoon-Style Deployments
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Only on 2:
It's a plan to stop violence in Chicago. And it starts Tuesday night.
It comes after Chicago Police Supt. David Brown returned from the White House in the battle to fight crime in the city.
CBS 2 has learned platoon-style deployments of Chicago police officers could be starting as early as Tuesday in the city.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports from CPD headquarters with how the effort is going to work.
CBS 2 has learned about 200 full duty officers working here at Chicago Police headquarters, will be part of the effort.
An order, reviewed by CBS 2, came out Sunday for officers.
The order said the Bureau of Patrol has implemented "a platoon-style deployment for all full duty officers within headquarters and certain deployable units under its umbrella."
Sources with knowledge of the initiative said officers, sergeants and lieutenants will be placed in five different, rotating platoons or groups.
David A. Harris is a professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of law, specializing in police and criminal justice.
"When they have an immediate set of problems, it can help," Harris said. "It can simply be more eyes, ears and hands there to do the job."
Sources said two platoons with a total of 80 officers will be deployed each day, working overnight. The order said the platoons will be activated starting July 13 through July 17.
It also said CPD Superintendent David Brown wanted to accelerate the start date of these deployments, to begin Tuesday.
It comes one day after his return from the White House, after meeting with President Joe Biden about gun violence in the city.
"The idea of putting more boots on the ground, more officers into the street, is something a lot of police departments do when they face a crisis," Harris said.
Harris said extra police presence is usually not enough. He said there needs to be clear direction on each officer's mission.
Sources with knowledge of the deployments said the platoons will be sent to areas that will be determined, based on need, to combat violence.
"You've got to ask yourself how and where do you deploy? With what mission in mind," said Harris. "And who are they there to interact with? And what will those interactions be like?"
CBS 2 wanted to know more about the jobs the officers have at CPD headquarters and if those jobs are going to be impacted by the deployments.
In a statement, the Chicago Police Department said the functions of those officers will continue to be performed, but they would not explain how.
