Putting the Squeeze on Violent Crime as It Slips Through Police Fingers

Police & PeopleViolent crime in Chicago is a serious epidemic that has been on the rise in recent years, leaving law enforcement scrambling to find new solutions. Turning to technology has opened up new options that provide better information and help police target certain locations in their fight on crime.

Unfortunately, this can end up just sending the violence and crime elsewhere, as criminals learn to avoid the targeted areas and move their operations to the next neighborhood. Community outreach and involvement seem to be the best answer: many hope law enforcement will come together with community leaders to forge stronger relationships and work together.

Violence in Chicago

In 2016, 780 people were killed, making it one of the most violent years for the city since the mid-1990s. So far, 2017 seems to be just as violent, with about the same number of killings for the first half of this year as those in the first six months of 2016.

As violence escalates, law enforcement looks for new ways to fight back. Technology offers a number of interesting and powerful options, including devices that quickly and accurately track the sounds of gunfire. This lets police officers respond faster and target certain neighborhoods where they can see the highest amount of violence and shootings, even before they have lengthy data analysis.

Crime Moves Next Door, but Hope Remains

Unfortunately, so far it seems that efforts to crack down on violent crime are only shifting that violence from one location to another. Early 2017 data does show that killings are down in the most violent neighborhood of 2016…and it also shows a sharp increase in shootings and deaths for the neighborhood directly next to it. It seems like a sad game of whack-a-mole, as police focus on one area, only to have crime and violence pop up elsewhere.

Residents in the community feel some hope, however, as they look to community leaders to work together and find ways to target social problems that create crime in the first place. While there is a great deal of long-term hostility and pain involving Chicago police, there is a desire to see law enforcement work with community organizers for better results. Police crackdowns are not likely to be the answer without members of the community coming together to build strong ties with each other and make the city stronger and safer.

Sometimes, police are not the final answer. And sometimes, police are part of the problem. If you’ve been a victim of injustice through police brutality, talk to us at Mitchell S. Sexner & Associates LLC. Call (312) 644-0444 to speak to a Chicago defense attorney today.

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Written by Mitchell S. Sexner Last Updated : August 4, 2020