Shortage Doesn't Affect Safety?

We're sorry - run that by us again?

• There are fewer police officers on the streets of Chicago than normal. The Chicago Police Department is down 500-officers from what it considers "full strength."
  
  So what does that mean for the city and the safety of Chicago residents?
  
  CBS 2 [...] reports that Chicago police would not say exactly how many officers the department currently has. They estimated it's around 13,000 and they said the shortage wasn't making the city any less safe. However, the union representing more than 11,000 rank-and-file police officers said it doesn't exactly agree with that.

But with over 400 retirements this year and a mere 40 or so recruits graduating, the shortages are bound to increase. The line is getting thinner all the time and it has become a safety issue on more than one occasion.

And it's going to get worse before it gets better.