FROM WLS 890
CHICAGO (WLS) - Crime in downtown Chicago has gotten so out of control, Major League Baseball is taking precautions.
Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden joined WLS Radio's Don Wade and Roma Monday where he said "it's a crying shame."
"Unfortunately, we have a situation downtown that has occured to Major League Baseball is warning their teams about downtown Chicago," Camden said.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said over the weekend that they're putting another 150 cops on the street.
"These officers are coming from everywhere across the agency including my office and other administrative positions. I've publicly stated that the single most important thing that we could do is get cops on the street, put them in the hands of the commanders and hold the commanders accountable," McCarthy said.
However, Camden says that cops aren't really being added, they're just being reassigned.
"Well, yeah, he's putting 150 people on the street. He hasn't added anything to the manpower of the police department which has been, you know, really terribly neglected for the past three years. The hiring has been abysmal at best," Camden said.
While he didn't say how many officers the city should hire to make the city safer, Camden noted FOP President Michael Shield's estimation over the weekend that the Chicago Police Department is understaffed by approximately 2,000 officers.
There were no incidents of mob violence this weekend, thanks to the beefed up police presence.
"What they're doing now is proactive. This should have been done awhile back but they didn't have the manpower, and they've got more uniforms downtown. There's a higher visibility, you have undercover officers. You have decoys out there and they're arresting people," Camden said.
Emanuel says over 30 people have been arrested in the various mob attacks over the past week.
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