New crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department show that 229 people have been killed in the city year-to-date. That total is down about 9% from the same time last year (when there were 253 homicides) and down about 12% compared to 2021.
Fred Waller
The mayor was joined by several community leaders and city department leaders at 63rd Street Beach Thursday afternoon to outline Chicago’s public safety plan ahead of what has historically been a violent weekend.
Cook County recorded 124 overturned convictions in 2022, all but two of those were tied to misconduct by two former Chicago police officers, according to the report.
That represents a significant increase from 2020, the last time Chicago needed a new chief law enforcement officer, when 23 people applied for the job.
The search is underway for Chicago’s next police superintendent. The city’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability is in charge of recommending three candidates to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson by July 14.
Waller will be the third person to lead the Chicago Police Department in less than six months and will immediately be charged with managing the department during the Memorial Day weekend, which typically results an increase in crime and violence.
Chicago’s top cop says his department is heading into the “next generation” of policing as two of its most senior leaders head into retirement and more than a dozen others have been promoted into command staff positions.
