Supt. Weis Outlines Latest Gang Crackdown Plan
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis is talking about the details of Chicago's new, somewhat-controversial approach to dealing with street gangs.
Chicago's approach to gangs starts with a "call-in" of top gang members: Those gang leaders are called in and community members tell them how important it is that the violence stop.
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Then police lay down the law - and tell the gangs that when one member commits murder, the full force of the law will be brought down on the whole gang.
And Weis says that's just what happened in a pilot program on the West Side.
"In two months time we put 60 people in jail and arrested them and took them off the street, which is phenomenal because that was the hammer aspect that we were telling these gang members [about]. If you shoot someone, if you kill someone, this is going to happen."
Weis says there was no negotiating with the gang members, as critics have charged.
He says about half those arrested are back on the street - out on bond.
Weis predicts will take two or three "call-ins" to have a real impact on a gang.
The architect of the anti-gang strategy, David Kennedy of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says most gang violence is not about money or drugs.
"Most of it is respect and disrespect and boy-girl and back-and-forth. It's not even in the interest of the gang. It draws heat. It makes it hard to do business."
Kennedy says when the gang understands that police will go after the entire gang after one member commits murder, the gang will police itself.
