To Sort Of Serve And To Kind Of Protect
MayorBob.
Posted to Etcetera on Sun Sep 21, 2008 at 09:22:59 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
When it comes to crime, the public expects a certain level of service from its police department. They expect them to respond to complaints, secure evidence, investigate and hopefully arrest the bad guys. It's an added bonus if they can respond while the crime is still taking place, but there's no guarantee that will happen. What would you say if you had a city where the crime rate seems to be going up and, while the police still respond, it turns out they take a lackadaisical approach to the rest of what the public expects them to do? Well, if you live in Chicago, you have that dilemma where the public is feeling distinctly ill-served by the police.
The problem all began last November, when Mayor Richard Daley reached outside the department to appoint a new superintendent. His name was J.P. "Jody" Weis and the 22-year veteran of the FBI first responsibility was to clean up a department which had been accused of not policing the brutalizers on its force. The charges of police brutality caught the attention of the Reverend Al Sharpton, who brought his media sideshow to the Windy City. He also announced a serious effort to derail Chicago's bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016. Thus it became imperative for the brutality to cease and for Weis to clean up the force.
When Weis took over, he quickly made it known he took his primary charge seriously. He replaced 21 of 25 commanders and created a new office, the Bureau of Professional Standards, which oversees Internal Affairs. He ordered officers on desk duty to begin patrol duty. He also made it clear that he would be using technology, in the form of electronic tracking devices for patrol cars and the requirement to collect and submit DNA samples for all crime scenes. All of this sent a message to police on the beat that, according to John Pallohusky, president of the police sergeant union, "guys feel the superintendent and the administration does not have their back."
What it boils down to is that Chicago cops will still respond to crime reports; they just won't go the extra mile in trying to investigate them. According to Lt. Robert Weisskopf cops "are doing just what they need to get through and not any extra." Monique Boyd, a department spokesperson says that's just not happening and speculates that a drop in arrests means police are "focusing on serious crimes instead of such offenses as disorderly conduct and public drinking." But a look at the numbers have people questioning that logic.
The truth of the matter is that crime, especially serious, violent crime, is on the rise. Compared to last year: assaults are on the rise; the murder rate has seen an 18% rise; and less than half the guns have been confiscated from this point last year. City Alderman Isaac Carothers calls what's been going on "de-policing." Carothers says, "they do their jobs, but they don't do their jobs as aggressively." This is a claim an unnamed 25-year veteran won't dispute:"If I see a crime happening, I take action. But I don't go out of my way to stop someone on a hunch or if they look suspicious. I don't want to be accused of racial profiling and run afoul of this guy who we know won't back us up."
< Those Conquistadors Run No More
