Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown, and Community Safety Coordination Center (CSCC) Chief Coordination Officer Tamara Mahal announce new City-led initiatives designed to aid residents and businesses in promoting safety within their communities and their city. The initiatives include a Home and Business Protection Rebate Program, a camera registration website, and the fundraising kickoff for what will be the largest gun-turn-in program in Chicago’s history.
“Through these bold new initiatives, all of our residents can play a critical role in keeping our communities safe,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “By increasing visibility on our blocks through lights and cameras and getting guns out of the hands of dangerous people, we will empower residents with the necessary tools to build a safer city for us all. I encourage our residents to take advantage of these initiatives and join us in improving community safety across our great city.”
Through the CSCC, the City of Chicago will soon launch a Home and Business Protection Rebate Program to ensure that anyone who lives or operates a business in the city has access to the tools needed to protect their property. The program will provide rebates up to certain limits that cover the costs of outdoor security cameras and one year of cloud storage for video footage, outdoor motion sensor lighting, and vehicle GPS trackers.
“The support of our city’s business community for gun turn-in efforts and getting residents involved in our home security camera program are both about visibility, engagement, and collaboration.” said Superintendent Brown. “Visibility demonstrates our partnership, engagement keeps us connected, and collaboration builds trust between communities and law enforcement. We can all help make Chicago safer because we all have a part to play.”
There will be two pathways for residents and businesses alike to receive private security resources:
- Home and Business Protection Rebate Program: Individuals who live or operate a business in the city of Chicago will be able to purchase equipment (cameras, cloud storage, lights, and vehicle GPS trackers) and receive financial reimbursement from the City.
- Block Club Expansion: Block club leaders will be able to request resources from the City to support expansion or development of block clubs.
“Everyone has a role to play in violence prevention. The CSCC was built to provide the resources necessary to support community needs, including the needs of residents and business owners to protect their property and feel safe,” said Tamara Mahal, CSCC Chief Coordination Officer. “We are continuously integrating community feedback and want to thank our partners and community members for participating and contributing to the City’s violence prevention and reduction efforts.”
To be eligible for the reimbursement, individuals would need to register their cameras with CPD. Please note that:
- CPD will not have direct access to your camera system.
- CPD cannot access camera footage without your consent.
- There is no requirement to provide footage to CPD at any time.
More information about the City’s Home and Business Protection Rebate Program will be made available after the selection of a third-party administrator.
Although not eligible for reimbursement, individuals who already have private security cameras in Chicago will be able to share the location of their cameras with the CPD and aid in criminal investigations starting today at www.chicagopolice.org/cameraregistration. The website requests basic contact information, camera specifications, and the location of the camera.
In line with the Home and Business Protection Rebate Program, the City of Chicago also officially issued four Request for Proposals (RFPs) today to support the violence reduction and prevention efforts led by the CSCC. These RFPs are:
- Home and Business Protection Rebate Program: The City of Chicago seeks a third-party administrator to help launch a Home and Business Protection Rebate Program program to ensure that anyone who lives or operates a business in the city of Chicago has access to the tools needed to protect their property. The program will provide rebates up to certain limits that cover the costs of outdoor security cameras and one year of cloud storage for video footage; outdoor motion sensor lighting; and vehicle GPS trackers.
- Block Club Logistics Support: The City of Chicago seeks a qualified organization to project manage and procure items for Chicago Block Clubs for special initiatives, events, and activities, to create awareness of progressive city efforts in violence prevention. The CSCC coordinates both government and nonprofit resources to holistically reduce and prevent violence in Chicago’s communities. This organization will support the CSCC in ensuring our community residents have access to the resources necessary to protect their homes and blocks by procuring, storing, and distributing safety equipment.
- Community Safety Marketing and Communications: The City of Chicago seeks an organization that has experience developing holistic communications strategies and breakthrough marketing campaigns that are evidence-based and community-driven. The scope includes the development of an antiviolence marketing campaign across the City to increase individual and collective responsibility for violence and decrease disrespectful online behavior that leads to violence.
- Project Management: The City of Chicago seeks a qualified organization to establish and operate a project management team to support engagement and operations activities occurring out of the Community Safety Coordination Center. The project management team will support the CSCC in coordinating and executing their approach to engagement with residents and organizations working to reduce violence.
Additionally, the City has begun raising money for the CPD to host what will be the largest gun-turn-in program in Chicago’s history. Through World Business Chicago and the Chicago Police Foundation, the City will raise be raising one million dollars through business and philanthropic partners who are committed to improving community safety and to aiding the City in removing deadly firearms from the streets of Chicago. To date, BMO Harris Bank, Blommer Chocolate Company, Cabrera Capital Markets, Motorola Solutions, and Wanxiang America have all demonstrated their commitment to improving public safety and removing guns from Chicago’s streets by making generous contributions to this historic turn-in.
“We applaud the Mayor and her team, as well as the Chicago Police Department and World Business Chicago, for this very important initiative that’s focused on something so fundamentally important to all of us, and that’s the safety of our community,” said David Casper, U.S. CEO, BMO Financial Group. “Chicago’s business leaders have a history of working collaboratively on important civic issues, and while more work still needs to be done, taking guns off our streets is critical in helping to keep our neighborhoods safe.”
“Blommer has a long and storied history in Chicago, and today we are proud to play a part in keeping our communities safe by supporting the City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department on this historic gun turn-in program.” Said Robert Karr, of Blommer Chocolate Company. “I want to thank Mayor Lightfoot and Superintendent Brown for their leadership on this important initiative, and I would like to call on my fellow Chicago-area business leaders to join us in supporting the removal of dangerous firearms from our streets.”
“We are excited to support the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Foundation in its largest gun turn in program in its history where individuals will have the opportunity to turn in guns, no questions asked.” said Martin Cebrera, of Cebrera Capital Markets. “We hope this initiative will help get guns off the street and decrease the amount of violent crimes in our neighborhoods.”
“Wanxiang America enthusiastically supports any and all organized efforts to make Chicago safer; in this case via the physical removal of as many guns as possible.” Said Pin Ni, of Wanxiang America. “We applaud your efforts and have included a financial contribution to help accomplish your stated objectives. “
While the fundraising kicks off today, logistics for the gun-turn-in program, including specific times, locations, and eligibility criteria will be announced in the coming months. This turn-in will be phased into two events during 2022, with one taking place in the summer, and one in the fall. Businesses interested in showing their commitment to improving community safety should contact World Business Chicago at connect@worldbusinesschicago.com.