Ald. Michele Smith Praises Cmdr. Bauer's Work, Ideas About Youth Crime
CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- One North Side alderman is mourning 18th District Commander Paul Bauer and praising his work and his ideas about youth crime.
Michele Smith, 43rd Ward Alderman, had nothing but words of praise for 18th District Commander Paul Bauer, calling him a policeman's policeman, street savvy, and dedicated to community outreach.
"He has a monthly coffee series at one of the coffee shops in the neighborhood where he just hung out and chatted with people. And he was very concerned about making sure that the community felt as safe and possible," she said.
She said she recently talked with Bauer about a seeming increase in youth crimes.
"He was the first person to bring to my attention that juvenile defenders, who are committing all kinds of crimes - including gun offenders, were being released at an alarming rate and then being arrested for another offense within a week, or a week later," she said.
"Of the 59 juveniles arrested last year for carjacking, those 59 juveniles collectively committed 63 hijackings, and among them they had over 500 previous arrests."
The Alderman said the numbers suggest the city needs to fine tune its approach to young offenders.