CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago City Council has voted to approve construction of a training academy for police officers and firefighters on the city’s West Side.
On Friday, council voted 39-2 to build the center after a raucous hearing in which dozens of angry protesters shouted that the $95 million that the center will cost should be spent on mental health, job and education programs for residents and the economically struggling communities where they live.
Several protesters had to be escorted from the room as several aldermen voiced their support for a project. The aldermen said that the facility will both improve training for police officers and firefighters but it will attract more businesses and residents to move into what they say will be a much safer neighborhood once the academy is built.
