On Saturday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins stated Chicago’s police force is facing an officer shortage due to problems recruiting officers in “an anti-police environment, nationwide.” And that this comes in the midst of “a crime epidemic in Chicago.”

Hopkins stated, “Right now, actually, we’re down probably about 10% from what would normally be our fully-staffed levels. That has nothing to do with vaccination and everything to do with the difficulty in recruiting and training police officers in what really is an anti-police environment, nationwide. So, we’re leaning in against that right now, and we have a crime epidemic in Chicago. We’re seeing an increase in armed robberies, carjackings, daytime shootouts in residential neighborhoods and crowded downtown streets.”

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