(WTTW News)

Chicago police leaders are adding patrols in neighborhoods, high-traffic areas and along the CTA during the Labor Day weekend, officials announced Friday.

Police Superintendent David Brown pointed to declining levels of shootings and homicides this year compared to last, but said the department must do more to keep the community safe during the busy holiday weekend.

“We want every resident, every young person to be safe,” he said during a press conference Friday morning at North Avenue beach. “Consider your neighbors and make good decisions.”

Brown said some officers have been reassigned from desk duties to field duties as the department increases the number of patrols this weekend. That will include additional bike patrols and visibility along the CTA.

While the number of shootings and homicides are down in 2022 compared to last year, crimes along the CTA have risen 40%.

“When they see officers — particularly on the CTA, in our downtown and our tourist areas — people feel safer,” Brown said. “We want them to actually be safer, but also we want to deal with the perceptions of crime.”

The CPD is also adding more officers to its strategic decision support centers, where they can monitor cameras from around the city and along CTA trains and buses.

Earlier this week, Brown announced a new strategy for dealing with officers’ days off. On Friday, he said the department would not be canceling two days off for the coming weekend, something he said likely hasn’t occurred for decades.

“We are very sensitive to the plight of our officers and their schedules, particularly the impact on their time away from the job,” he said. “We’re not done yet looking at ways to make sure our officers are well … This was a great first step, this is progress.”

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