Emanuel says he'll find funds to hire 970 cops but not how

Mayor Rahm Emanuel vowed Wednesday to find the money to pay for his two-year plan to hire 970 additional police officers, arguing that Chicago is paying the price already in "lost lives."

"I'm not gonna propose something that is not paid for. … I have all four pensions paid for. … We are gonna do the tough and necessary things to go line-by-line and find the resources," Emanuel said. The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that the Chicago Police Department will launch a two-year hiring blitz that will add 970 police officers over and above attrition to confront a 50 percent spike in homicides and shootings and a troubling increase in other violent crime.

On Wednesday, aldermen emerged from private briefings skeptical about the mayor's ability to deliver on his promise to fill 471 vacancies, keep pace with retirements and still hire enough police officers to add 516 patrol officers, 92 field training officers, 112 sergeants, 50 lieutenants and 200 detectives to raise an abysmal clearance rate for homicides and shootings.

• For the complete report, visit chicago.suntimes.com.