The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind the New York City Police Department.2008 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, by Brian A. Reaves, US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, July 2011 As of 2025, the CPD had 11,554 sworn officers on duty, and has 124 units. Tracing its roots to 1835, the Chicago Police Department is one of the oldest modern police departments in the world.

Department structure

Office of the Superintendent

The Superintendent of Police leads the Chicago Police Department.

In 1960, the municipal government created a five-member police board charged with nominating a superintendent to be the chief authority over police officers, drafting and adopting rules and regulations governing the police system, submitting budget requests to the city council, and hearing and deciding disciplinary cases involving police officers. Criminologist O. W. Wilson was brought on as Superintendent of Police, and served until 1967 when he retired. This position, in its current iteration, has existed as the head of the Chicago Police Department since 1960.

Salary Starting salary for Chicago police officers in 2025 is $61,782, which is increased to $93,186 after 18 months. Promotions to specialized or command positions also increase an officer's base pay. Salaries were supplemented with a $2,920 annual duty availability and an $1,800 annual uniform allowance.

Demographics

In 2017, the composition of the department's sworn personnel by gender was 77% male and 23% female. The highest ranked woman in Chicago police history was Barbara West, who was appointed to the department's third-highest rank (the deputy superintendent) in 2020.

In 2017, the racial composition of the department's sworn personnel was: 50% non-Hispanic White 25% Hispanic (of any race) 21% African American 3% Asian American/Pacific Islander 1% other

Union The Chicago Police Department became unionized at the end of 1980. Chicago police officers are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police. In 2020, Officer John Catanzara was elected as the head of the union. Catanzara has faced multiple complaints throughout his career and has made controversial remarks about Muslims and the January 6th Capitol Attack.

Oversight

Five government agencies are charged with various aspects of police oversight in Chicago: a set of 22 Police District Councils, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the Chicago Police Board, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, and the Deputy Inspector General for Public Safety. Most of these bodies were created by ordinances passed in 2016 and 2021, and their membership is determined through a mix of appointments by the Mayor of Chicago, confirmations by the Chicago City Council, and elections.

History According to historian Sam Mitrani, the Chicago Police Department professionalized and grew in size during the 19th century in order to quell labor unrest. City policymakers cooperated with business elites in terms of structuring the police department. The Chicago Police Department remained beset by vast corruption well into the 20th century.

19th century

In 1825, prior to the creation of Cook County, what would later become the village of Chicago, was then located in Putnam County.White, Jesse. Origin and Evolution of Illinois Counties. State of Illinois, March 2010. Archibald Clybourn was appointed to be Constable of the area between the DuPage River and Lake Michigan. Clybourn went on to become an important citizen of the city, and the diagonal Clybourn Avenue is named after him.History of the Chicago Police: From the Settlement of the Community to the Present Time, Under Authority of the Mayor and Superintendent of the Force. John Joseph Flinn and John Elbert Wilkie. Published under the auspices of the Police book fund, 1887

Chicago was given authorization to establish a police force on January 31, 1835, and it was formally established on August 15, with Orsemus Morrison as its first constable. The Municipal Court of Chicago was created in 1837. The title of the leader of the department, Head Constable, was changed to City Marshall in 1841, with Orson Smith being the first to hold it.

Cyrus P. Bradley, who was appointed chief of police on May 26, 1855, reorganized the department in 1855, with the day and night watches being combined and its size increasing by sixfold. Chicago was divided into three police divisions and districts. Uniforms were instituted in 1858, as prior to this officers wore plain clothes. In 1855, the newly elected city council passed ordinances to formally establish the Chicago Police Department. Chicago was divided into three police precincts, each served by a station house. Station No. 1 was located in a building on State Street between Lake and Randolph streets. Station No. 2 was on West Randolph Street near Des Plaines Street. Station No. 3 was on Michigan Street (since then renamed Hubbard Street) near Clark Street. Political connections were important to joining the force; formal requirements were few, until 1895. After 1856, the department hired many foreign-born recruits, especially unskilled, but English-speaking, Irish immigrants.

There were 67 total police officers in 1860, compared to the over 100,000 inhabitants of Chicago. In 1860, the detective forces were established. In 1861, the state legislature created the Chicago Police Commission (abolished in 1875). Mayor John Wentworth, an opponent of the state's control over the police, fired the city's entire police force on March 27, 1861. Most of these men were rehired by the police board within a few hours.

James L. Shelton became the department's first black officer in 1871. In 1875, the Illinois General Assembly found that the police commissioners were unable to control rampant corruption within the Chicago Police Department. The legislature passed a new law returning power over the police to the mayor. The mayor was allowed to appoint a single police commissioner with the advice and consent of the city council.

In 1896, a parade of Chicago police officers was the subject of the first film ever to be shot in Chicago.

Women entered the force in 1885, as matrons, caring for female prisoners. Marie Owens is believed to have been the first female police officer in the U.S., joining the Chicago Police Department in 1891, retiring in 1923. Holding the rank of Sergeant, Owens enforced child labor and welfare laws.

Despite centralized policies and practices, the captains who ran the precincts or districts were relatively independent of headquarters, owing their jobs to neighborhood politicians. Decentralization meant that police could respond to local concerns, but graft often determined which concerns got the most attention. In 1895, Chicago adopted civil service procedures, and written tests became the basis for hiring and promotion. Standards for recruits rose, though policing remained political.

20th century

In 1906, the Department's Mounted Patrol was created to provide crowd control, and in 1908, the force was granted its first three motor cars, expanding in 1910 to motorbikes and boats. Female officers were formally appointed beginning on August 13, 1913, starting with ten officers that included Alice Clement. In 1918, Grace Wilson, possibly the first black female police officer in United States history, joined the force. In 1913, Clement became the first female police detective for the Chicago Police Department.

In 1917, the Chicago Police Reserves were formed, organized on a regimental basis. They were used to assist or replace regular officers in high-crowd events, such as Memorial Day, and during the 1918 flu pandemic, worked for two weeks to enforce stringent health regulations.

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre led to the creation of the United States' first crime laboratory at Northwestern University, purchased by the Department in 1938.

Orlando W. Wilson, the first civilian superintendent, was appointed by the mayor in 1960. A former dean of criminology, Wilson introduced major reforms to the Department, including a new and innovative communications center, the reduction of police stations, a fairer promotion process, and an emphasis on motorized patrol over foot patrol. Vehicles were painted blue and white and given blue lightbars, introducing the familiar Sillitoe tartan headbands, and the official motto, 'We Serve And Protect'. In 1963, the Cadet Program was also introduced.

The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Grant Park led to major criticism of the Chicago Police's crowd control methods, with the Walker Report criticizing both the Department and the National Guard for use of excessive force, and called the events a police riot.

The Department's Mounted Patrol was disbanded in 1948. The Department's Mounted Patrol was re-established in 1974, renamed simply as the Mounted Unit.

In April 1977, the CPD adopted a flag.

In August 1983, the Chicago Police Department's first black superintendent, Fred Rice Jr., was appointed by Mayor Harold Washington, the city's first black mayor. The first Hispanic superintendent, Matt L. Rodriguez, was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1992.

21st century

The new Chicago Police Department Headquarters was opened on June 3, 2000, replacing an extremely aged and outdated building located at 1121 South State Street.

In 2018, the Chicago PD began a “narcotics arrest diversion program” to help individuals without violent crime records who are habitual narcotic users. Working with Chicago-based Thresholds, an addiction recovery agency, the police give those suffering from substance abuse disorder one final chance: If they enter the program, charges against them are dropped. In 2020, three African Americans, David Brown, Eric Carter and Barbara West, were appointed to the Chicago PD's three highest ranking positions, marking the first time in history that the department's Superintendent, 1st Deputy Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent were African American.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest union for the CPD compared vaccine requirements for police to the Holocaust. The union head encouraged CPD officers not to get vaccinated.

In August 2022, the number of sworn officers was 11,611, which was down 1,742 officers from its peak four years prior.Officer Exodus: 1,000+ Chicago cops left the job last year Ben Bradley and Andrew Schroedter, WGN-TV, 31 January 2023

2017 Department of Justice report and agreement for enforcement Following the McDonald shooting, Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a civil rights investigation of the department. The agency released a report in January 2017, announcing an agreement with the city to work on improvements under court supervision. The report strongly criticized the police for a culture of excessive violence, especially against minority suspects and the community, and said that there was insufficient and poor training and a lack of true oversight.

The lack of training was one of the main targets of the DOJ report. The DOJ criticized the department for "check the box" training that relied heavily on PowerPoint presentations and included poorly executed training exercises in the field. The DOJ also observed recruits falling asleep during training.

In the aftermath of the investigation, Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel approved the construction of a new training facility for the police and fire departments. The new building cost an estimated $95 million.

Controversies