Police Board – BGA Policy 2027 Budget Snapshot

The Chicago Police Board is an independent civilian oversight body that decides disciplinary cases involving Chicago police officers. It is an adjudicatory body, not an investigatory one, and historically has one of the city’s smallest budgets and budgeted workforces. 

• Police Board staffing once again remained consistent. The board has been assisted by two full-time employees for more than a decade.
  
• ​​Apart from slight decreases in salary categories, the 2027 proposal makes no changes in Police Board appropriations.
  
• In 2025, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, the Police Board spent 83.3% of its locally-funded budget, with a slight $2,568 (0.8%) overspend in the personnel services category. 

From 2011-2026, the Police Board’s budget grew at an average rate of 5.9% annually, or 3.9% when adjusted for inflation through 2025, compared to a citywide average rate of 5.5% (inflation-adjusted 3.2%). The current proposal would decrease the department’s appropriations by 0.4% from the previous year.

Estimated Fringe Costs

City budgets do not break out “fringe” pension and benefit costs for non-grant positions by department, instead grouping them together as citywide expenses under the Finance General section of the budget. To better reflect the real cost of service for departmental operations, BGA Policy has included an estimate of pension and benefit costs for the years 2018-2026, using Department of Finance fringe memos from each relevant year. An estimated fringe cost for the 2027 proposal uses the average annual rate of increase for each of the inputs into the fringe formulae. 

Based on the city’s fringe formulae, the Police Board fringe cost for nongrant employees averaged 17.7% from 2018-2026, compared to a citywide average of 26.8%. 

Local Fund Actual Spend

Over the past four complete budget years for which local fund actuals/encumbrances data is available, the Police Board spent on average 82.4% of its locally funded budget, compared to the citywide average 86.6% local fund spend.

Budgeted Positions & Vacancies

The department’s budgeted workforce has not changed in over a decade, with two full-time employees assisting the board from 2011-2023. Overall budgeted positions for the city remained relatively flat across the same time period, with minor year-to-year fluctuations averaging out to an overall growth rate of -0.1%. The current proposal makes no change in budgeted Police Board headcount.

From January through September of 2026, the months for which full-time position vacancy data is currently available, the Police Board had no vacancies.

The 2027 budget makes no changes in police board staffing. Budgeted titles, positions, and headcount are the same as in 2026.

The Police Board is entirely funded out of the city’s general-purpose corporate fund. 

Largest Appropriations

As with most departments, personnel costs make up the bulk of the Police Board’s appropriations, with salaries and wages on payroll by far the largest expense category. 

In 2025, the most recent complete budget year for which local fund actuals and encumbrances data is available, the Police Board spent 83.3% of its locally-funded budget, with a slight $2,568 (0.8%) overspend in the personnel services category. 

Change from Previous Year

Apart from slight decreases in salary categories, the 2027 proposal makes no changes in Police Board appropriations.