Crime & Law
Public Safety Concerns Remain as Chicago Police Report Historically Low Violent Crime Numbers
As summer comes to a close, Chicago is staying on pace with last year’s historically low violent crime numbers.
The Chicago Police Department has reported the fewest number of homicides in June, July and August since 1965. But as crime numbers continue to drop, public safety remains a major concern for Chicagoans.
“One homicide is too many,” said Emmanuel Andre, deputy mayor of community safety. “It is the whole approach, like this idea of the ecosystem of public safety. So you have government working better together, first responders working better together, all of that is absolutely critical to continue to be able to move the needle and continue to keep us in this right direction that we’re moving in.”
Despite overall crime being down throughout the city, there has been a recent uptick in shootings on the city’s West Side and a recent mass shooting in Washington Park.
A recent NORC at the University of Chicago poll said 44% of Chicagoans think crime is going up, despite CPD data saying otherwise.
Carrie Steiner, former CPD officer and founder of First Responders Wellness Center, said the lower crime statistics could be the result of underreporting.
“Personally, I don’t think the numbers are accurate,” Steiner said. “What I’m hearing from a lot of my Chicago police friends is that they’re saying in the community people are saying they don’t call the police anymore because nothing gets done.”
Andre said while he doesn’t agree with claims that the data is inaccurate, he does believe that safety is more than just crime stats.
Earlier this summer, teen takeovers returned to the city, spurring concerns from parents and action from community violence intervention groups.
Christa Hamilton, president and CEO of UCAN, said social media is playing a major role in youth violence prevention.
“We have to be on social media as much as they are on social media,” Hamilton said. “We have to be watching and tracking their activity. … My team was chasing teen trends across the city because social media is a gift and a curse. Information moves quickly, but we have access to the information as well.”
Another major concern from Chicagoans is crime on public transit. As of Sept. 1, the Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) replaced the Regional Transit Authority as the overseer of the CTA, Metra and PACE. This change was made, in part, to increase public safety efforts for riders.
These concerns are expected to play a major role in the search for a new CPD superintendent. Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability will present its top three candidates to Mayor Brandon Johnson at its Nov. 12 commission meeting.
The upcoming Chicago mayoral election is also expected to be impacted by public safety concerns. With more than a dozen candidates vying for the city’s top spot, Hamilton said funding for crime reduction initiatives has become more important than ever to keep crime numbers low.
“Recently, we’ve lost funding, so there are less boots on the ground to sustain the level of decrease and reduction that we’ve seen over the last year,” Hamilton said. “So I’m hoping it’s the top of mind for every candidate.”
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
