LE MIGNOT: “In just the first six months of this year, 367 officers retired. Well, I spoke with a recently retired officer to give us some insight into these rising numbers. And that person agree to speak with us if we agree to conceal their identity.”
[Clip starts]
RETIRED OFFICER: “People see us as the enemy and we’re not. All we’re trying to do is help the people of the community, the city of Chicago.”
LE MIGNOT (voice-over): “This person who had nearly 25 years on the job, retired within the past year from the Chicago Police Department. Retirement numbers are broken up in two ways, those who don’t get their pension because they’re not eligible and those who do get a pension. Data obtained through public record shows in 2017, 37 officers left the department before being eligible for pension. So far this year that number is nearly double with 68 officers. For those who are retiring with their pension that number has been climbing steadily over the years. In 2018, 339, in 2019, 475. Last year, 560. And already this year, 367 officers, just through June. For this retired officer who left the department with numerous commendations the streets of Chicago became too much.”
RETIRED OFFICER: “We get spit on. We get things thrown at us, you know, you — they’re fighting with us. People are protesting, calling us names, and not just protesters, but you’ve got the people who are supposed to have our back in government.”
LE MIGNOT: “This former officer says there’s a feeling the rank and file don’t have the support they need to carry out their duties from the superintendent and mayor.”
RETIRED OFFICER: “If someone had our back, we could do our jobs, but again, threatened with lawsuits, indictments, officers getting fired, that is actually, again, stifling us.”
LE MIGNOT: “The retired officer says another reason for the mass exodus, the mandatory 12-hour days to increase patrols throughout the city. But this doesn’t address the need to hire more officers.”
RETIRED OFFICER: “We want to work in a department that — that, um, is standing by us and standing by us and doing our jobs. We do our jobs to the best of our ability. Stand by us. Don’t toss us aside.”
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