Anita Alvarez Faces Tough Questions On Rising Violence
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Anita Alvarez is as frustrated as anyone else, claiming she's doing the best she can, with what she has to work with.
"Everybody's is a little nervous about all the violence and everybody's searching for an answer," said Alvarez.
Alvarez agreed with Police Supt McCarthy that the claim Chicago's gun laws were the toughest in the nation, was a myth.
"When you're sentenced to a year on a gun case, which is normal, what are you serving? You're serving 6 months or less. I think we should look at the classes of those UUW. What I understand in New York, the bottom is three and a half years, where in some of our statutes the bottom is a year," said Alvarez.
But she maintains there's no friction between police and prosecutors.
"We are approving 95 percent of any gun case that comes in and the whole thought process behind felony review is a screening process to make sure we are, number one, going to be charging the right offender," said Alvarez
As for the sentencing practices of judges following conviction, "If the bottom is one year and the guy has no prior background then the judge is gonna give a year but I think we have to look at that. I think in some cases, judges can be tougher," said Alvarez.
All the debate about assault weapons and high capacity clips used in sensational mass murders, really misses the point that ordinary handguns claim by far the most victims here. But neither Alvarez nor McCarthy nor the mayor has yet to come up with a quick or easy way of getting those guns and those who use them off our streets.
