Chicago mayoral election: How Johnson, Vallas differ on dealing with crime, policing

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Violence is one of the main issues driving voters to the polls in the race for Chicago mayor, and candidates Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have sharply differing opinions on policing.

Take the handcuffs off or defund police: whether Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson said those words or not, it is how Chicago's mayoral candidates are trying to define each other when it comes to policing.

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"As mayor of city of Chicago, I've made it perfectly clear, I'm not going to defund police, but what I am going to do is make sure we have smart police," Johnson said.

Johnson has spent the campaign backing off on public statements he made following the George Floyd protests about diverting police funds to other resources.

While he insists the police budget will not be cut, Johnson supports getting rid of the ShotSpotter technology that hears gun shots and automatically sends officers. In addition, Johnson says social workers and EMTs should be used to answer certain 911 calls rather than police.

"We need to make sure we are investing in mental health," Johnson.

Backed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Vallas says it's time to let police be police.

"Police do not feel they have the support to go out there and be proactive and make arrests for people who are clearly violating the law," Vallas said.

By filling over 1,100 jobs in the Chicago Police Department, Vallas strongly supports a return to community policing, where cops have consistent beats so they can get to know the residents and businesses.

"When you don't have beat cops, you can't build trust between the community," Vallas said.

Johnson worries community policing can mean code for targeting certain Black and brown neighborhoods. While they differ on how to police, both candidates agree the Chicago Police Department needs reform.

Vallas and Johnson support fully implementing the consent decree. Vallas sees it as the floor, not the ceiling. Johnson says the decree must include mental health services for police officers.