The Chicago Police Department will spend around $14 million this summer paying time-and-a-half overtime to police officers in an initiative to curb violent crime. What exactly this overtime initiative is and how it will deal with an increased murder rate this calendar year is not clear. The city did tell the Chicago Tribune that 210 officers were deployed between last Thursday and Monday to work overtime as part of the new initiative.

These cost and officer numbers represent a small part of the police force. Chicago Police Department Superintendent Garry McCarthy wants a force of 9,600 officers and 12,500 department employees. The city plans to hire 450 to 500 officers this year, in part, to offset planned retirements.The department budget is more than $1.1 billion.