Seven Chicago police officers have been shot so far in 2026, compared with two during the same stretch of 2025, according to department data reviewed as part of an ongoing investigation into attacks on officers. Thirty-eight officers have been shot at this year, and the two figures mark the highest totals in four and three years respectively, even as the department's overall headcount has sunk to its lowest level in decades.
A Violent Year for Officers on Patrol
The numbers, reported by WGN-TV, show that Chicago police officers are increasingly becoming targets of attacks and shootings, according to department data the station reviewed. Last year alone, there were 2,730 reported assaults and batteries against officers, the highest total in a decade, per department numbers cited in the station's reporting.
Among those caught in the surge of violence was SWAT officer Nick Linker, who was shot just below his bulletproof vest in July while rescuing a family, the station's report states. The man involved in the shooting had allegedly shot his mother-in-law and held his wife and 14-year-old daughter at gunpoint, according to the article. Linker said officers continue doing their jobs despite what he described as a perceived disrespect for law and law enforcement, the outlet reported.
A Union Voice Shaped by Personal Loss
Carlos Yanez, who now works for the Chicago police union helping officers cope with street trauma, was shot repeatedly during a 2021 traffic stop in Englewood, the same incident in which Officer Ella French was killed, per the same account. Yanez said his quality of life will never be the same after the shooting, the station's report notes.
John Catanzara, president of the Chicago police union, told the station that criminals have become more unprofessional, ignorant and entitled. Catanzara also claims some people intentionally provoke officers into overreacting in hopes of suing the city, and said Chicago often settles such claims rather than fighting them in court.
Payouts Mount as Staffing Shrinks
Chicago law department records show the city has paid $23.5 million in 57 use-of-force cases since 2024, the station's report states. The city can settle certain lawsuits without City Council approval when the amount is under $100,000, according to the same reporting. Separately, the University of Illinois Chicago's police epidemiology project has found that over the past decade, the city paid roughly $500 million in civil suits involving wrongful death, excessive force, false arrest, illegal detention, illegal search and seizure, civil rights violations and property damage.
Chicago reported 11,433 officers on the job in September, described as the fewest number of cops in decades, according to the station's investigation. Mayor Brandon Johnson has proposed leaving more than 370 vacant police positions unfilled and converting 132 other police jobs to civilian roles in next year's budget, per the station's report. The Chicago Sun-Times has described the same $17.6 billion budget differently, reporting that it freezes 368 police vacancies and eliminates 132 additional police officer positions. The Sun-Times also reported that CPD hired 539 officers and lost 397 to retirement last year, with 407 hirings and 363 retirements recorded so far this year.
A Staffing Study Calls for More Officers
A City Council-commissioned staffing study identified a need for at least 273 additional patrol officers and 132 sergeants, according to separate Sun-Times reporting. The gap between that study's recommendations and the budget's proposed cuts underscores the tension playing out at City Hall as officers like Linker and Yanez describe a job that has grown more dangerous.
Broader department data compiled by WTTW News shows officers pointed their guns at individuals 4,209 times in 2024, an increase of nearly 44% since 2022, while reported uses of force by officers rose 47% between 2023 and 2024. By the end of 2024, the department had fully complied with just 16% of its federal consent decree, according to the same outlet. WTTW has also reported that officers shot 12 people and killed six during the first five months of 2025, matching the total killed during all of 2024, even as homicides fell 28% and shootings fell 35% citywide over that same five-month span.
