Chicago, one of the most unfriendly gun cities, where gun law restrictions are very strict, has more shootings than anywhere else in the United States. The number of shootings is atrocious and still rising.
As of April 24, 2017 there have been 992 shootings. From January of 2001 to September of 2016, Chicago experienced nearly 8,000 murders murders. As a measure of comparison, the number of Americans killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was 2,384 and 4,504 respectively since 2001. While this is true, it remains hard to believe. (1)
The numbers above are the facts. There is no getting around the fact that Chicago is a very dangerous place to live. Police efforts, as well as efforts from the local government, have not resulted in any reduction of the trend of rising shootings in Chicago. In truth, the numbers keep growing exponentially, as noted in the chart below.
The Mayor of Chicago has no plan.
In September of 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel gave a speech at the Malcolm X College outlining his plan to stem the violence in Chicago; unfortunately, it was more of the same. No new initiatives, and no new ideas. Just a pledge to hire more cops. That was it.
Hiring more cops probably won’t be the solution. Why? There is another glaring problem in Chicago besides the number of officers on the street. There has been a very noticeable pull-back by the police from stops and investigations in the city. The police in Chicago are not patrolling the streets aggressively. They are said to have gone “fetal” by the former Police Superintendent, Garry McCarthy who contends this is due to the increased scrutiny from Black Lives Matter proponents, among others. There is a feeling within the department of a lack of support.
The Governor of Illinois has no plan
At the state level, the Governor has no new ideas, either. On August 23, 2016, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner (R) signed a gun control bill aimed at reducing the record gun violence currently witnessed in the city of Chicago. The new law targets anyone without a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card who buy guns in states other than Illinois with the intent of bringing them into Illinois, particularly into Chicago, to sell to other individuals on the streets. Doing so is now a felony that carries a prison sentence of four to 20 years. The sentence for repeat offenders is 30 years. (2)
A trifecta of ineffectiveness.
- The police are not supported, and they are not enforcing the laws currently on the books. They are not aggressively pursuing cases and are, in fact, surrendering the streets to the violence. No officer wants to be the next one on TV or spread all over YouTube or Facebook if a situation gets out of control. This is making officers rethink what they are going to get themselves into before conducting a stop.
- Couple this with the fact that the Chicago Police Department is in very deep trouble. In the most recent Justice Department Report, the Chicago Police Department was found to have a history and pattern of abuse of force, inadequate supervision, almost no internal investigations when allegations were brought forward, as well as understaffed and underfunded community outreach programs. The department is basically in a state of crisis.
- The City of Chicago is doing the same things over and over again. The new Police Superintendent did not even apply for the job, but was instead hand-picked by the Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, over the recommendations of the Police Board. Mayor Emanuel rejected all the finalists and appointed Eddie Johnson from inside the department. If the Chicago Police Department ever needed fresh ideas, now is the time. This is not the time for the new leader of the Chicago Police Department to come from within. As a response to criticism, the Mayor has now directed the Police Board to start over with the selection process. This time, Eddie Johnson has been directed to apply.
- Neither the City or the Police Department is addressing the root problem of the violence in Chicago. The vast majority of the gun violence in Chicago is gang related. Passing more restrictive laws to control the purchase and transport of guns will have zero effect on these individuals. They already do not follow the law, so why would passing more regulations make any difference at all? When you take into account that many of the laws now on the books are not enforced, passing more is simply an effort only to make the politicians look like they are doing something.
The root causes of gun violence in Chicago are based on economics. Poverty, violence, and the loss of opportunity creates hopelessness and frustration which adds to the gun violence and continues the cycle. Due to the violence, taxes have gone up, services have gone down, and property values are in the tank in many areas of Chicago where the violence is greatest. Businesses move out or close down, adding to the underlying causes. It is a cycle that perpetuates itself. Causes are evident. This is not a secret formula; it is common sense. According to the University of Chicago Crime Lab draft report, Chicago police attributed 75% of homicides in the city in 2015 and 2016 to altercations, most involving street gangs. (3)
What must the City of Chicago do?
Chicago must address the morale, training, and staffing of the Police Department.
The Chicago Police Department is drastically understaffed. Under the administration of Mayor Emanuel, hiring was not a priority. Instead, the Mayor chose to pay overtime instead. That approach leads to a shortage of personnel through natural attrition, and according to a recent Chicago Sun-Times report, there are fewer officers because police retirements have outpaced hiring by 975 officers (4). This has removed almost 1,000 officers from the streets.
Police misconduct oversight has to be a real function of the department, and not one of sweeping issues under the rug as has happened in the past. This type of behavior destroys the community’s trust in the police. Confidence in the police by the citizens they serve is crucial to Chicago, as it is in any city. Community policing measures must be funded and supported. This includes outreach programs, mentoring programs, putting police in neighborhoods, and having them interact with the communities.
The Police Department must focus on the heart of the gun problem through very concentrated suppression of the gang culture. Selected enforcement in high gang activity areas with a focus on the arrest and swift prosecution of those gang-related offenders can break the cycle of gang violence which accounts for the majority of Chicago’s gun crime. Chicago ranks last in the nation in Federal Firearms Prosecutions. The theory is that the cases can be better handled in State Court, but that has proven not to be the case in Illinois, and especially in Chicago. Light sentences, early parole, and few prosecutions place the gun offenders back on the streets at an alarming rate.
The Feds really need to get involved. Federal gun laws should be enforced in Illinois and in Chicago. There is no need for more laws, just strict enforcement of the ones already on the books. Novel approaches to the gang problem should be examined. The use of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) laws are a major tool in fighting gangs– the Federal Government must start pushing these prosecutions, as the state-level prosecution of gun violence in Chicago has clearly failed.
The city must condemn and destroy the abandoned houses and buildings that have become havens for drug activity and gangs. A strong emphasis needs to be placed on the revitalization of Chicago. Businesses, schools, and communities can thrive, but only if the current plague of gun violence is stemmed, along with the oppression and fear that go with it.
Chicago’s problems originate from within. They go back decades, with corruption and mishandling of the business of running the city. We see little difference with the Emanuel administration, characterized by poor decisions, unimaginative initiatives, and political stances that do nothing to help the situation (remember that Chicago is a Sanctuary City under Mayor Emanuel). Until the local government gets serious about investing in programs that can improve the city, until the federal government gets involved in prosecutions, and until the Police Department can be trusted to operate efficiently, Chicago will continue to hold the title of having the most murders of any city in the nation. Not the type of thing you want to advertise in your tourism brochure.
Citations for the above article:
Homicides In Chicago Eclipse U.S. Death Toll In … (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2016/09/08/homicides-in-chicago-eclips
Illinois Governor Signs More Gun Control Aimed at Chicago … (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/08/24/illinois-governor-signs-gun-c
How to stop guns, gangs and poverty? Chicago seeks … (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-chicago-violence-solutions-met-20161230-st
Chicago to Add Nearly 1,000 New Police Officers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-hire-police-officers-394195801.html
