Chicago officials have also begun to
admit that the recent spike in homicides is a crime problem – not a gun
problem. Just this week, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson
acknowledged that “as long as we fail to hold violent repeat offenders
responsible for their actions, we're going to hear the same stories of
murders and shootings in certain parts of our city.”
Johnson blamed Chicago’s broken justice
system. “It's frustrating for [Chicago police] to arrest a guy on Friday
for an illegal gun and then the next Thursday they see him right back
out on the street with another illegal gun.” A police spokesman echoed
Johnson’s frustration: “with nearly half of those we arrest for murder
being repeated gun offenders, we need help to ensure these individuals
stay off our streets after repeated arrests for guns.”
Cook County State's Attorney Anita
Alvarez made a similar acknowledgment last week: “Criminals know and
understand our system” and “tell prosecutors that Illinois gun laws are
‘a joke.’” She noted that the worst offenders “are spending fewer and
fewer days behind bars for their violent and repeat felony gun
offenses,” and that “an unexplained revolving door” is “spitting these
convicted criminals out of prison after they have served only a fraction
of their court-imposed sentences for violent gun offenses.”
The problem is exacerbated by a new
policy the Chicago Police implemented through an agreement with the
American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. The policy, which took
effect on January 1st,
requires officers to write a detailed report every time they stop a
suspect for a brief investigation. This not only requires time-intensive
paperwork, but suspects must also get a receipt indicating the
officer’s name, and the time, place, and reason for the stop.
No comments:
Post a Comment