The stage is set for a confrontation over Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis’ upcoming plan to reallocate police resources from lower-crime districts to those that need more officers.  Days before the plan is expected to be unveiled, the Fraternal Order of Police is serving notice that it intends to strictly enforce a union contract that could severely limit Weis’ options.  …  “It would be a mistake to believe you can just move personnel at a whim without regard to the agreements the union has with the city. We will enforce the contract to the best of our ability.” FOP President Mark Donahue said Friday.

(Full story here.)

The reallocation plan is a poorly thought out bad idea that naturally would not be required if the CPD was operating at its fully authorized operational capacity. i.e. If it wasn’t 2,500 cops short.

That said, it is the city, through the Superintendent of Police, that tells officers where to go, not the FOP.  If the FOP had it’s way half of the department would work the Marine Unit and the other half would patrol Lincoln Park Zoo.  You would not be able to find a cop south of 18th Street or West of Western.

This makes me think that FOP is part of the problem and not part of the solution.