WESTCHESTER – Police officers in various Chicago-area communities have contracts that allow them to have a few drinks before they hop into their squad cars and patrol the streets, according to a new report.

An analysis by WMAQ-TV in Chicago and the Better Government Association found that some police contracts have provisions for officers to have some alcohol in their systems when they come to work. The blood-alcohol concentrations ranged up to 0.08, or the legal threshold at which drivers in Illinois are considered too intoxicated to drive.

But, according to the report, the departments say that even if they cannot discipline an officer who comes to work after drinking, they would not allow them to hit the streets.