Chicago mayoral candidate and alderwoman lays out plan to combat crime

CHICAGO - Chicago mayoral challenger Sophia King has unveiled her plan to reverse a spike in violent crime in the city.

With killings in Chicago up by more than 35% so far this year compared to 2019, which is when Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office promising to reduce the bloody tide of homicide, one mayoral candidate after another has a plan to actually deliver that.

"Safety is obviously Chicago’s biggest challenge. It's this mayor's biggest failure, and it will be my number one priority," King said.

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King proposes to re-hire 1,000 retired police officers for less dangerous assignments, such as festivals and office desk duties.

To hire another 1,600 cops in the next two years, she'd offer a $5,000 signing bonus and $10,000 to help officers buy a first home.

In addition, she would deploy technology, such as police drones, to pursue carjackers and other fleeing offenders.

A source in the Lightfoot administration told FOX 32 Chicago each of those moves is already under consideration.

King complained that Mayor Lightfoot talks but often fails to deliver, claiming Lightfoot has so far spent only $5 million of $85 million budgeted for violence prevention.

"But it's this mayor's biggest failure. We need to get to those priorities and spend the money that we have," King said.

As the mayor's race kicks into high gear, we're likely to see more candidate news conferences in front of police stations; underscoring that crime — what King calls "safety and justice" — is a top priority for millions of Chicagoans.