Chicago to cut security details for some public officials

Security details for several city public officials will be reduced or eliminated, the Chicago Police Department said tonight.

The Police Department offered few details on the moves, but said they will put more cops on the street and save taxpayers more than $650,000.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s security detail already has been reduced and the number of sworn officers guarding Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy will decrease.

The security details for Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, chairman of the Chicago City Council’s finance committee, and City Treasurer Stephanie Neely will be reduced. Burke has had city-paid bodyguards since the “Council Wars” era of the 1980s, and questions have arisen about his continuing need for security at taxpayer expense.

The security details for Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and the Chicago Housing Authority CEO have been eliminated.

Emanuel and McCarthy will continue to have sworn officers assigned to them, others will use security specialists who are retired cops