Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot is introducing a cash-for-cameras program to encourage citizens to serve as the city’s “eyes and ears.”
This comes in the face of rising crime rates that have not been seen in Chicago for four years.
Lightfoot previously proposed to cut $80 million from the Chicago Police Department’s budget in 2020 during the Defund the Police protests.
However, she said the $5.3 million program will benefit investigators and police by supplying them with home security and doorbell footage to aid in their investigations.
BREAKING: 19 people were shot, 1 fatally, this weekend in Lori Lightfoot’s Chicago.
— Ben Owen (@hrkbenowen) April 4, 2022
Individuals must enroll their surveillance equipment with the city registry in order to qualify for the cash, which is being offered to homeowners and business owners.
Lightfoot’s plan to eliminate $80 million from the CPD was eventually pulled down and $60 million was slashed; it comes amid reports that 660 police officers would retire in 2021.
This is an increase of almost double over the previous year. This round of mass retirements occurred the same year Lightfoot announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for municipal workers.
Earlier this year, the mayor begged AG Merrick Garland to deploy agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to the city for a period of six months after the city’s murder rate reached a 25-year high.
Even though the year is just four months old, the most recent crime figures reveal 3,778 theft reports have already been filed, representing a 69 percent increase over the same period last year.
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There were 132 homicides in the city so far in 2022, compared to 139 at this point prior last year.
Nyzireya Moore, 12, bled to death on her birthday after being struck by a stray bullet during a gang-related shootout in the city’s West Englewood neighborhood, according to authorities.
Moore was wearing her pink birthday sash and tiara at the time of her death.
Only a week later, a shooting at a crossroads on Chicago’s South Side left at least seven people gravely wounded, including two police officers.
20 individuals were shot in the city during the first weekend of March, with one person dying as a result of the shooting.
Even Mayor Lori Lightfoot seems to be frightened of the horrifying sights that take place downtown. She is protected by a secret squad of Chicago police officers known as Division 544, in addition to her bodyguards.
LEO TERRELL: "Lori Lightfoot has a battalion to protect her 24/7. She sleeps well at night when she goes to bed. The citizens of Chicago have to sleep under their bed to protect themselves from straight bullet. The Democratic elites love security when it comes to them." pic.twitter.com/2kYYna7vXh
— Martin Golobich (@mgolobich) March 30, 2022
How the cash-for-cameras program works
The rebate program provides approximately $250 per camera, but also no more than $400 per house, as well as reimbursement for the first year’s membership expenses.
The bill also provides for exterior motion sensor lights at a cost of $100 per light, as well as compensation for GPS monitoring systems installed in vehicles.
While it is true that individuals will have to submit their cameras to CPD, the mayor’s administration states no one from the CPD will have immediate access to people’s surveillance systems.
