Chicago Police Department

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025, it employs over 11,500 sworn officers and operates 124 specialized units, making it the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind only the NYPD. The department's jurisdiction covers the city's 234 square miles, from the Loop's towering office blocks to the residential streets of Bronzeville and beyond. Its work spans traffic enforcement, major felony investigations, and everything in between, with officers stationed across the city's 22 districts.

The CPD's roots go back to 1835, when the city first established a formal police force, though it was reorganized under a modern command structure in 1855. That long history has seen the department evolve through eras of reform, technological change, and public scrutiny, mirroring the broader shifts in American policing. Today, the CPD operates under the Chicago City Council and the Mayor, with the Police Superintendent at the helm. Its headquarters at 3510 South Michigan Avenue in the Douglas neighborhood anchors an agency that remains a constant presence in the city's civic life.

Beyond its day-to-day operations, the CPD has a significant cultural footprint. NBC's long-running drama Chicago P.D., which debuted in 2014, fictionalizes the department's Intelligence Unit and has brought its work to a global audience. The department also maintains an active online presence, offering residents services like purchasing crime reports, registering bicycles, and submitting tips through its official website. Yet the agency is no stranger to controversy, from ongoing discipline backlogs to debates over policing tactics, making it a frequent subject of national news. [edit]