In an effort to cut the budget and save money, the fire department executive offices on South 35th Street likely will move to police headquarters at 35th and Michigan, Ward Room has learned.
The police headquarters would be renamed Public Safety Headquarters and would move fire execs currently on the 14th floor of an office building into police space, according to sources close to the police and fire departments.
Last month, Mayor Rahm Emanuel asked all departments to trim their budgets, including $190 million from Police Supt. Garry McCarthy's $1.3 billion annual budget, in the face of a Chicago deficit.
Since then, McCarthy said he has eliminated two positions and readjusted the "upper echelon" of the department. He's also ready to undertake a second level of department review.
Merging police and fire is one more way to save on the bottom line.
It is unclear how much money the move would save the departments.
The firefighters union suggests it all makes sense and would rather see offices combined than personnel get cut.
