The redeployment of the initial 500 officers marks a sharp departure from the management style of Superintendent Jody Weis, whose contract was not renewed after three years leading the department.
McCarthy is shifting the department's patrol deployment strategy away from Weis' reliance on two specialized units - the Mobile Strike Force and Targeted Response Unit - to parachute into areas of the city where crime spikes have been identified. Weis pulled patrol officers to beef up those units.
The city's new top cop is implementing a more traditional policing approach, by stressing the need for resources to be in the hands of district commanders to use as they see fit in the neighborhoods they oversee.
The new resources come with increased scrutiny.
Superintendent McCarthy, who was confirmed by the city council Wednesday, began
weekly CompStat meetings
the following day. The meeting began with Superintendent McCarthy grilling Englewood District Cmdr. Anthony Carothers about a spike in shootings in Englewood in May compared with 2010.