Chicago taxpayers are covering the cost of police overtime at street festivals, despite city laws requiring event organizers to pay for these services. Between 2021 and 2023, nearly 2,800 officers worked 27,000 hours of overtime at about 1,300 street festivals. This unpaid overtime likely costs taxpayers millions. City officials are facing increasing scrutiny over the issue, especially as Chicago’s police force, which has lost over 1,000 officers since the pandemic, struggles with burnout from handling multiple large events simultaneously.
Aldermen have raised concerns about the lack of reimbursement for police resources at many neighborhood festivals. While major events like Lollapalooza and the Chicago Marathon reimburse the city for police overtime, smaller, local festivals do not. Special events organizers, such as Hank Zemola of Special Events Management, argue that requiring them to cover police overtime would financially burden festivals, potentially ending many of them.
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has been criticized for not adequately managing reimbursements. Some aldermen have pushed for a system overhaul to ensure event producers are charged fairly. At the same time, concerns about officer fatigue and the strain on the police force continue to grow as large-scale events draw officers away from neighborhood patrols. City officials are exploring solutions to close this loophole and address the financial strain on taxpayers.
NEWS DESK
PRESS UPDATE