The Latest: Chicago activists say more cops isn't the answer

CHICAGO (AP) - The Latest on the Chicago Police Department's plan to add nearly 1,000 new positions (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

Activists with Black Lives Matter Chicago say the city's plan to add nearly 1,000 new positions at the police department isn't the way to stop the violence.

The group said in a statement Wednesday that the crime and violence exist "because of the conditions of poverty that (Mayor) Rahm Emanuel has exacerbated." The group cited mass school closings in 2013 and increasing taxes.

Black Lives Matter Chicago also said additional resources should instead be used to address employment, affordable housing and access to health care.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says the new positions will strengthen leadership on the force and help earn trust in the community.

City officials have not detailed the cost or how the new jobs will be paid for.

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3:45 p.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel won't say how the city will pay for nearly 1,000 new positions to the police department.

He told reporters Wednesday that the city "will have the resources" in the next city budget and that he isn't going to propose something "that is not paid for."

Chicago police announced Wednesday that the nearly 1,000 new positions will include 516 new officers, 200 detectives 112 sergeants and 50 lieutenants.

The move is a departure from how Emanuel has handled staffing issues in the past through overtime.

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2:55 p.m.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says adding nearly 1,000 new positions to the police department will help stop increasing violence in the city and earn trust in the community.

Johnson said at a Wednesday news conference that the additions, which includes patrol officers, training officers and sergeants, will be used to fill vacancies and strengthen leadership.

The sworn officers will be hired over the next two years, bringing the department's total number to about 13,500.

Johnson says it's a difficult time to be a police officer with added pressures and cellphone videos.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office has not yet detailed how the added positions will be paid for.

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1:45 p.m.

Chicago aldermen are questioning how the city will pay for the police department's plan to add nearly 1,000 new positions over the next two years.

The department announced 970 new positions on Wednesday, which include 516 new officers, 92 field training officers, 200 detectives 112 sergeants and 50 lieutenants.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office has not yet explained how the officers will be paid for. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has planned an afternoon news conference.

Alderman Danny Solis says the cost question remains unanswered. But he says that Emanuel has assured him that it could be done without raising taxes. The City Council approved new water and sewer increases earlier this month.

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7:45 a.m.

The Chicago Police Department plans to add 970 new positions over the next two years as it struggles to deal with a violent year full of killings and gun crimes.

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said Wednesday that the number includes 516 new officers, 92 field training officers, 200 detectives, 112 sergeants and 50 lieutenants. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is scheduled to announce the hires Wednesday afternoon.

The department currently has more than 12,000 officers, and hasn't had a hiring push of this magnitude in years. The move is a departure from how Mayor Rahm Emanuel has handled staffing, resisting pressure to add ranks and instead paying overtime.

Overall, the city has recorded more than 500 homicides this year - higher than in all of 2015.