Chicago Ald. Chris Taliaferro expressed his desire for Mayor Brandon Johnson’s new plan to prioritize increasing the manpower within the police department to address the alarming rise in robberies, which have surged by almost 30% throughout the city within the past two years.
According to Taliaferro, a former Chicago Police Department officer and current member of the city’s Public Safety Committee, the decrease of over 2,000 police officers is a significant concern. He believes that the lack of sufficient police officers can deter crime, as people are aware of the shortage. Taliaferro emphasizes that the city needs to prioritize policing and responsibly replace the officers who have left the force.
With summer just around the corner, Johnson recently teamed up with Police Superintendent Larry Snelling and other key city officials to outline the department’s comprehensive strategy for ensuring the safety of residents. This approach includes implementing “focus missions” to prevent crimes and apprehend suspects, leveraging advanced technologies such as license-plate readers and pod cameras, and enhancing community engagement efforts.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) will be hosting “Vehicle Safety Days” to address the alarming increase in robberies, particularly smash-and-grabs. Some city neighborhoods have experienced a staggering 155% spike in these incidents, where organized groups collaborate to target victims in repeat attacks. These criminals often employ stolen vehicles as getaway cars. As part of the initiative, Hyundai and Kia car owners will have the opportunity to obtain software updates that can effectively deter thefts of their vehicles.
Taliaferro acknowledges that there are positive aspects to the mayor’s plan, but he believes that the key challenge lies in implementing the required changes on the ground level.
“We need to go beyond and ensure that we have a sufficient number of officers on the streets this summer to effectively discourage crime,” he stated. “It’s a comprehensive plan that requires us to consider both policing efforts and public engagement.”
During the event, Johnson took the opportunity to emphasize his commitment to addressing the underlying factors contributing to crime. He aims to achieve this by focusing on creating opportunities and investing in underserved communities.
Taliaferro emphasized the urgency of finding immediate solutions in response to the current crisis situation that the city is confronting.
According to him, the approach of addressing the root causes of crime has been tried for several decades without yielding any significant results. He believes that this approach is unproven and doubts its effectiveness. Additionally, he states that achieving significant reductions in crime within a short timeframe of less than four years is nearly impossible.
