Spike In Violent Crime In Chicago Continues
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Amid the deadliest start to the year in nearly two decades, Interim Chicago Police Supt. John was assuring Chicagoans that extra patrols have been putting in extra hours to help fight crime.
Through the first two months of the year, there were more than 100 homicides in Chicago. February alone saw 43 murders. Chicago hasn't had more than 100 murders in the first two months of the year since 1997.
Overall, there were with 165 shootings, and 187 shooting victims last month.
Escalante said those numbers are unacceptable, and he's working aggressively to target problem areas. The superintendent said much of the gun violence is the result of gang conflicts, some sparked by social media taunting.
"Arrests are up in murders, criminal sexual assaults, robberies, thefts, motor vehicle thefts, and gun arrests; gun arrests is huge," Escalante said.
Podcast
Escalante has offered new strategies to reduce violence.
Last weekend, Chicago police worked with agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and arrested 74 people on weapons and narcotics charges. Thirty-two of those arrested were documented gang members.
The Chicago Police Department also has deployed 100 newly trained sergeants across the city to increase supervision of officers.
Meantime, police have been working with the city to identify and demolish abandoned buildings that have become havens for gang and drug activity. Officers also have been intervening in gang conflicts by offering to help lead them out of a life of crime by offering guidance and resources to pursue a different lifestyle.
The superintendent acknowledged some officers have been reluctant to make stops; partly because of increased public scrutiny in the wake of the Laquan McDonald scandal, and partly because of a longer "investigatory stop report" officers have had to fill out this year.
"We've seen a 25 percent increase in the use of that report, and today the new stop report, the revised version which is a little more streamlined goes into effect today, so we think that will help," he said.
Officers had complained that the new form the department began using this year was too complicated, and took too much time to fill out. The result was a significant drop in the number of street stops made by police. That form has since been revised to make it simpler and less time-consuming for officers to fill out.
The new forms were part of an agreement with the American Civil Liberties Union, after a study showed minorities have been disproportionately targeted for stops in Chicago. A retired federal judge has been tasked with reviewing the forms to evaluate whether police are following constitutional guidelines for street stops.
After consulting with officers, the city's Law Department, and the ACLU, the Police Department has streamlined the new street stop forms to eliminate repetitive questions, and reduce officers' workloads.
Escalante said some of the violence could be stopped with tougher sentencing for gun crimes, but he's not waiting for that.
"The officers are out there. They're making the effort every day, and like I said, I'm encouraged despite the fact that over the last 28 days, we've had more gun arrests than we did in 2015 at the same time that there is a concern about doing stops properly, not being that next viral video. We definitely need help from the state legislators. We definitely need help through the judicial system," he said.
Escalante said he thinks officers are becoming more accustomed to the new atmosphere in the months after the city released video of Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times, prompting a series of angry protests across the city. Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder, and the U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation of the Police Department's policies and practices regarding the use of deadly force.
The interim superintendent said the job is "challenging" but he still wants the job permanently. Whether he gets it is up to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has indicated he's more inclined to choose an outsider.
In the next few weeks the police board is expected to present the mayor with its three finalists in the superintendent search. The mayor can choose one of those candidates or send the committee back to the drawing board.
