Chicago Police say they are taking new steps to quell gun violence because of a continuing rise in murders this year.
So far this year, murders have risen 21 percent—and most were the result of shootings.
“We’re constantly improving our performance and right now the most important thing that we’re doing that we changed our policy on is the fact that we are now sending detectives to every single gun arrest to gather evidence and treat that crime with the seriousness it deserves just like a robbery or burglary,” police Supt. Garry McCarthy said Thursday morning on WGN-TV.
“The results to date are not acceptable to anyone,” CPD said in a statement released Thursday. New strategies to reduce shootings include putting detectives in each police district to improve “collaboration and community intelligence as they work to solve cases and get dangerous criminals off the street,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, the department also began assigning detectives to investigate every illegal gun possession case in a pilot program in two of city’s three detective headquarters. The police said they have made almost 2,250 gun-related arrests this year—25 percent more than a year ago.
They’re trying to use the information they gain in those investigations to catch people involved in illegal trafficking of weapons.
And police said they plan to ask the city to repair streetlights and provide other services in high-crime areas.
Even though murders and shootings are up this year, overall crime—including robberies, burglaries and thefts—are down, the police said.
—Chicago Sun-Times