Community Engagement, ‘Surgical’ Policing Credited for Drop in Chicago Gun Violence
Chicago invested $1.4 billion to revitalize South and West side communities, which are disproportionately affected by crime, and is utilizing Shotspotter tech to solve and prevent gun crime.
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In Chicago, shootings are down 20 percent through the end of summer and homicides have fallen 16 percent, with the city’s police crediting the success to greater community engagement as well as a new, more surgical deployment of officers to 55 specific areas where half of all shootings and homicides occur, report Meghan Mistry and Julia Cherner for ABC News.
Chicago invested $1.4 billion to revitalize South and West side communities, which are disproportionately affected by crime, to improve access to affordable housing, jobs, mental health services and other drug treatments and social services.
Meanwhile, police investigations are utilizing “ShotSpotter” technology, where sound sensors are placed throughout Chicago to detect and locate gunfire, and a greater reliance on camera footage from businesses and homes, to solve and prevent violent crime.
In 2021, the department said it had cleared about half of its homicide cases, a nearly 20-year high. Police have also been taking an average of 12,000 guns off Chicago’s streets every year, though officials admit that’s likely only 10 percent of the illegal firearms out there.
Additional Reading: Chicago Anti-Violence Program Gets Results Despite Crime Spike, The Crime Report, April 22, 2022
