Emanuel Upset With Continued Violence, Discusses The Need For Change
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Emanuel said he is upset that shootings and homicides in Chicago are already higher this year than the same three-week period in 2016.
Mayor Emanuel was grim when he reacted to the news that there have been at least 228 people shot in Chicago so far, a five and a half percent increase over the same time last year. WBBM's Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports.
"I am very concerned, I have very upset about it," Emanuel said. "It is totally unacceptable. And I know this from talking to other mayors across the country, what they are experiencing also, is an increase from last year. There has to be more focus on giving our police both the certainties I have talked about, to be both the highest professional standards with proactive policing."
And the Mayor said that does not mean a return to so-called "stop and frisk" tactics, which President Donald Trump has championed in the past. The policy was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge in New York.
Mayor Emanuel said the approach must be different and broader than that. He said the state needs to pass tougher penalties for gun crimes.
"Gang bangers committing the gun crimes know that there is really no penalty in the criminal justice system," Emanuel said. "It would be helpful if the state also stepped up and partnered with the city in what we are doing with summer jobs and after school activities."
The Mayor spoke at an unrelated event on the North Side.
