In a dramatic and contentious meeting Wednesday, Chicago City Council approved a controversial plan to build a $95 million police and fire academy on the city's West Side, handing outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel one of his final big victories before leaving office.
City Hall was crowded for hours with a large and raucous crowd of roughly 300 members of the public, mostly young activists opposed to the academy, and a police presence to match.
Aldermen voted in favor of approving the contract, 38-8.
Proponents of the new state-of-the-art academy say it will better equip police to fight crime using 21st century tactics and technologies. But the academy’s opponents say it could further militarize the police force and that those millions of dollars should instead be used to reinvest in blighted communities.