Major Police Departments Increase Budgets Amid Rise in Crime

Police officers attend a Chicago Police Department promotion and graduation ceremony in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 20, 2021. Scott Olson/Getty Images

After slashing police budgets last year under intense pressure from activists, mayors of the country’s three largest cities have decided to increase funding this year, in the face of a nationwide jump in crime.

Chicago, which has the nation’s second-largest police department, is poised to pass its 2022 budget on Oct. 27. The spending plan boosts law enforcement funding by $200 million over last year’s $1.7 billion, and much of the increase will cover police salaries.