This story was co-produced in partnership with The TRiiBE.
A breakdown of how Chicago planned to use security funds for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) shows that nearly half of the $75 million the Department of Justice (DOJ) gave the city went to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
If the DOJ approves the expenditures, CPD will be reimbursed about $35.5 million, or 47% of the federal funds.
According to a budget narrative obtained by The TRiiBE, the total earmarked for CPD included $16.6 million for personnel, including hourly and overtime pay; $990,414 for DNC training; and $12.9 million for supplies and equipment, including a new police helicopter. More than $79,000 was also allocated for Chicago police officers to travel to Springfield for motorcycle-riding training conducted by the Illinois State Police.
In August, The TRiiBE obtained a heavily redacted budget narrative from the city’s Office of Budget and Management (OBM) via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. This month, the OBM provided a less-redacted version of the document that better reveals how costs related to DNC security were calculated, as well as where the money was slated to be spent.
The detail is a breakdown of how the city expected to use the funds for the DNC and has not been approved by the DOJ, which has to sign off on all contracts and invoices. The DOJ’s review is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2025, according to someone familiar with the process.
In August, ahead of the DNC, The TRiiBE reported that CPD would get the bulk of the funds after receiving a heavily redacted budget narrative that showed at least $26.7 million of the DOJ funds would be spent on personnel including CPD, Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management and Communications workers.
The Mayor’s Office said at the time that the equipment purchased to outfit police officers for the DNC would be kept as “permanent assets of the City.”
CPD also used the federal funds to purchase an $11 million helicopter with upgrades such as strobe lights, folding rotor blades, interactive touchscreen monitors and more. $250,662 was allocated for an unspecified number of new Harley Davidson motorcycles, and $95,230 was allocated for five new ATVs. Another $785,000 was spent on bicycles and related supplies; $650,000 on five cargo trucks; and $203,242 for Bomb Squad Remediation Equipment and PPE.
The document also shows $2.5 million was allocated for riot-control kits, but details of what was included in the kits were redacted. Nearly $1.9 million was allotted for purchasing additional body-worn cameras.
The department allocated more than $120,000 on “special munitions” for anticipated protests. More than $68,000 was appropriated for “mass arrest supplies,” the details of which were heavily redacted.
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The document also shows $5.7 million was appropriated to cover the cost of an Asset Protection Program that arrayed personnel and vehicles from the Departments of Transportation (CDOT), Streets and Sanitation (DSS), and Water Management (DWM) to secure the convention sites at McCormick Place and the United Center, as well as critical infrastructure such as water pumping stations.
The number of officers trained for the DNC preparations was redacted. The training included three-day training operations and included overtime pay for officers working regular days off to attend. At least one day of the training was considered mandatory for any officers working the convention.
Also revealed in the budget breakdown is the amount of money designated to police departments other than CPD. The Milwaukee Police Department was slated to receive $362,568 and the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System was designated to get more than $1.7 million to help during the DNC. The total allocated for the Illinois State Police was redacted from the document, but the total expected to be spent on staff from other departments is $3.1 million, with a total of $6.8 million for “Law Enforcement Related Contracts.”
Notably, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is not listed in the budget detail. A separate contract shows an agreement between the City of Chicago and the CCSO, but the total amount paid to the agency is not included. The agreement stated that the City sought “the assistance of up to 174 additional law enforcement personnel, 3 prisoner buses and 12 passenger vans and drivers for mass arrest operations to assist with the protection of certain areas of the City of Chicago.”
The Office of Budget Management did not comment on the appropriations.
Corli Jay is The TRiiBE’s community investment reporter.
