Chicago government leaders, advocates call for a city Department of Gun Violence Reduction
chicago.suntimes.com | Published on 6/26/2026
A coalition of city and county officials and advocacy groups is pushing for the creation of a new city Department of Gun Violence Reduction.
“This would create a stabilized department in the long term that isn’t just responding to the whims of today when we’re dealing with sustained issues,” Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Emmanuel Andre said Monday at a City Hall news conference.
Few details were discussed regarding staffing or what the department might look like. But officials said it would have a $100 million budget made up of existing public safety money across Chicagocity departments. It would have contracting and procurement powers to put workers like violence interrupters on the city’s payroll, the group said.