Cracking Down on Gangs

Chicago police have recently started a huge effort to stop gang violence in the city that started with a gang audit.

"We identified gang turfs, membership, who's in conflict with who, put it into a database and put that into the hands of beat officers," Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy [Below] said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Photo courtesy of: gunssavelife.com

This information can help officers focus on particular gangs and members and move quickly to where these gangs might attack.

McCarthy, formerly the police chief in Newark and a high-ranking commander in New York, said officers have also alerted gangs that if one of their members kills somebody, police will go after everyone in the gang for any infraction — from "welfare fraud to failure to pay taxes."

The Chicago Police Department has also enforced some strange, as some say, practices. Some alderman claim that the department is coddling the criminals.

Some of the practices are providing gang members with information about social services and setting up meetings between them and the parents of murder victims "to give them a sense of what they are doing to the community."

Despite adverse opinion by those alderman, this program is going to be expanded this year.

Heartbreak Can Hit at Any Age

In 2014, alone, two one year old children have been killed by people close to them.

20 month old Adonta McCoy was found in critical condition  in the 6900 block of South Cornell Avenue on February 13th.
 

Vernon Henry, 26, of the 6600 block of South Paulina Street, was charged with first-degree murder after the boy died Saturday afternoon at Comer Children's Hospital, police said.

The body of 17-month old Amierah Roberson was found  in a Riverdale park and the child's death has been ruled a homicide, authorities said on Monday.

17-month old Amierah Roberson was reported missing on Sunday March 16 at 5pm after her mother went to pick her up from a home in the 3500 block of South Rhodes Avenue.

 Jocelyn Roberson, 23, had gone to her job on the South Side, leaving the child with her boyfriend. When she returned, she was told by her boyfriend that the child had suddenly disappeared, said Amierah's grandmother, Bernadette Madison, 46.
 

To read more about McCoy's case, Click Here.

To read more about Roberson's case, Click Here.

Keeping the Dream Alive?: 2014's Progress

As many would hope, this year is already shaping up to be an extremely less violent year than 2013.

January of this year ended with 23 homicides, 21 less than the 44 homicides of last year. February ended with 7 more than last year with a total of 21. Despite February's lapse, Chicago is still in good shape to keep homicide rates at record lows.

 March has 11 days left in the month and is already down by five for the month's duration.

2013/2014 Side-by-Side Map

With the weather warming up, the homicides rates can only be assumed to rise. But without a doubt, many Chicagoans will have their fingers crossed that this safe streak will continue through the season and year.

Rahm's Saving Grace

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stated in previous interviews that besides putting more officers on the streets, various programs for young Chicagoans have lowered the number of violent crimes in the city.

“Not one of those kids was affected by gun violence this summer, and I don’t believe for a minute that they if they didn’t have jobs they would be safe,” he said.

The mayor said at a recent news conference a record 20,000 young people were involved in the city’s summer jobs program.

 The summer jobs program is called One Summer Chicago (OSC). The program’s website states OSC, “connects young people to summer jobs, internships and training programs being offered throughout the City. 

Through OSC, young adults have the opportunity to learn job skills, develop their resumes and explore career interests.”

The website’s application process is not currently updated for 2014 but it gives links to a website that it is partnered with: workforce.io.

According to its website, workforce.io is for anyone who is looking for a job, is training talent for the workforce, or is hiring for entry level positions. Workforce.io declares that it is for employers, job seekers, and mentors and instructors and claims that it connects and supports the local workforce market. 

Last Year's Recap

According to a statement made by Chicago’s Police Department on Wednesday 

January 1, 2014, the city recorded the fewest killings since 1965 and its overall crime rate fell to a low not seen since 1972.

The police also said the number of shootings fell 24 percent between 2012 and 2013, from 2,448 to 1,864 and the number of shooting victims dropped from 3,066 to 2,328 for the same time frame.

The year ended with a total of 415 recorded homicides. This is 88 fewer than in 2012 and 20 fewer than in 2011 but still more than larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles. 

New York also recorded the lowest number of homicides since 1963 with 333. Likewise, Los Angeles recorded fewer homicides than the year before.

The Chicago Police Department stated, “Every police district in the city saw a reduction in crime and all but four of the city's 22 police districts saw the number of homicides either fall or remain the same as the year before.”

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City officials and the Chicago Police Department have stated that the drop in shootings, homicides, and other crimes are due to the changes in police strategy. The strategies include targeting violent street gangs that are responsible for a large majority of Chicago’s gun crimes. They also give credit to the hundreds of officers deployed nightly to high crime areas on overtime pay. 

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stated that besides putting more officers on the streets, various programs for young Chicagoans have lowered the number of violent crimes.

To read more on the city's summer job program, Click Here.