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* Northwestern University political scientist Wesley G. Skogan’s new book Stop & Frisk and the Politics of Crime in Chicago is the subject of his WBEZ interview…
Q: These traffic stops became the Police Department’s main way of seizing illegal guns. Block Club Chicago and Injustice Watch have found that, since 2015, CPD has carried out 4.5 million traffic stops. In 2021, the most successful year for seizing weapons during those stops, the police made 156 traffic stops for every gun arrest. What are the effects of making so many stops for one gun arrest?
Skogan: One of the consequences of this enormous number of unwarranted stops — stops of innocent people — is that they come away with a very sour taste in their mouth. What they discover is that police officers don’t want to listen to what they have to say and the officers push them around and shout at them, even though they find nothing. What the people walk away with is a very bad experience, which undermines their trust in police and undermines the legitimacy of the police in Chicago.
And that has consequences. The Chicago Police Department’s real problem, starting in the early 2010s, was the collapse of its ability to solve shootings and homicides. The number of those crimes for which they recover a gun, find a suspect, make an arrest, make what’s called a crime clearance — it began to plummet. It’s now extraordinarily low. And that limits the capacity of investigators — the detectives — to do much about crime. And because no one has been arrested, that leads many community members to conclude that the police aren’t trying hard, that they’re not paying attention to the lives of people like them, that they are not being protected.
* Skogan’s advice to the incoming mayor…
The arrival of a new mayor and police superintendent is an opportunity for some new thinking about policy. We know a lot about things that will reduce crime in the streets. Chicago has already started to mount a pretty effective campaign using violence interrupters and related community organizations that provide services and support for young men who are in trouble. More of that is always welcome.
We also know that a focused deterrence strategy — which drops the idea of stopping hundreds of people to deter one little crime and focuses instead on a very small network of high-risk, high-offending people — is a much more effective way to get more bang for your stops and more bang for your investigations. So, the incoming mayor should focus on this detective-oriented police work.
Efforts to rebuild Chicago’s Black community are also really important. That community has been getting poorer and more isolated over time. Some dramatic action to try to bring Black Chicago back into the mainstream of city economic life is absolutely important.
The Center Square, meanwhile, posted an opposing view written by a communications intern at The Heartland Institute. So helpful.
* Speaking of the police…
As a newly formed commission launches a nationwide search for the Chicago’s next top cop, campaigns endorsing current and former Chicago police officials for the job are already impacting the process and raising some alarms.
The first-of-its-kind search by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has so far centered on three public meetings that have elicited seemingly coordinated efforts to raise the profile of certain police supervisors, including at least two who are also being pushed in online campaigns.
Anthony Driver Jr., the commission’s interim president, said those efforts are complicating the search, which relies on getting independent input from residents. […]
“We’re looking for the person to do the job, so community members’ voices are very important and their voice will be at the forefront,” he added. “But if somebody has 5,000 supporters and another person has 20 [and] the person with 20 seems way more qualified, then that’ll create an issue.”
One of the candidates even appeared in a campaign-style video. But, is it really all that unhealthy when members of the public speak up for their local commanders? We’ve seen plenty of mediocre (and worse) people chosen by “experts.” Then again, I can most definitely see where this could really get out of hand. Your thoughts?
…Adding… From David Axelrod’s interview of Brandon Johnson on what he’s looking for at
CPD…
Right now, we have supervisors who supervise the supervisors, you have police officers that will have a different supervisor, sometimes three to four in one week. Now granted, they all might be part of a cadre of law enforcement but you know, every supervisor brings a different element. Right? And so having some consistency around supervision is really important, and having a superintendent who understands what it means to be compassionate, collaborative, and someone who was competent. That’s what what I’m going to look for, and that’s what we’re going to find to serve as superintendent in the city of Chicago. I’m very confident that we’re going to find someone that gives confidence to the rank and file but also understands constitutional policing.
…Adding… Final results map…
With final results by ward, Brandon Johnson @Brandon4Chicago defeated Paul Vallas by 26,448 votes & 4.3% in the Chicago mayor election. Johnson won every Black majority ward & he won northside liberal wards. Johnson won 6 Latino majority wards #chimayor23 #electiontwitter #twill pic.twitter.com/IdFSbevWdY
— Frank Calabrese (@FrankCalabrese) April 28, 2023
* Isabel has some Chicago-related stories in her morning briefing, but she rounded up some more for this post…
* NBC Chicago | Brandon Johnson Reveals the Advice He Received From Former President Obama: “We spent a lot of time talking about our families,” Johnson said. “Here’s someone that was president of the United States, was an organizer and worked as a legislator, (but) he raised his family too.”
* Sun-Times | Frank Annunzio, who represented Chicago in Congress, was linked to the mob, his FBI file shows: The records — released in response to a public records request and now part of the Sun-Times’ “The FBI Files” online database — also reveal there was a years-long federal investigation into a “proposed bribery scheme” described as having focused in part on Annunzio. That investigation was closed in the mid-1980s without any criminal charges, the files show.
* Tribune | California launches legal battle with railroads that could lead to reduced train emissions in Chicago: The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to require railroads to cut diesel soot emissions from passenger, freight and industrial locomotives by 91% by 2050 and to slash smog-forming nitrogen oxides, or NOx, by 86%.
* Sun-Times | First night meeting of the Chicago Fishing Advisory Committee draws new voices: Illinois’ assistant fisheries chief Kevin Irons said they are in the process of hiring two people to replace Brenda McKinney, who retired last year, with plans to expand the Urban Fishing program; hybrid bluegills will be stocked in the Chicago lagoons but not channel catfish; and he reminded about the fishing equipment loaner program that about 150 libraries are doing statewide.
* WBEZ | After death of Emmett Till’s accuser, Chicago-area cousin says, ‘No one now will be’ held accountable: “Our hearts go out to the family of Carolyn Bryant Donham,” Parker, of Summit, Illinois, said in a statement. “As a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic and don’t have any ill will or animosity toward her. “Even though no one now will be held to account for the death of my cousin and best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face in overcoming racial injustice.”
* Block Club | These Humboldt Park 5th-Graders Are Spreading Awareness About The Need To Protect Rainforests: A group of 10- and 11-year-old students at Casals School of Excellence, 3501 W. Potomac Ave., studied rainforests around the world for an expeditionary learning project this school year. The students then launched a multi-faceted campaign around safeguarding rainforests, urging the school community to do its part.
* Crain’s | Meet the photographer capturing iconic images of the Chicago skyline: Some of the most iconic images of the Chicago skyline would not exist if Barry Butler hadn’t broken his collarbone during a hockey game some 25 years ago.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 10:27 am
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I’m sure it was helpful for the Heartland intern to start polishing their tough-on-crime rhetoric. They may get to use that piece over and over again as their career takes them through one Uihlein funded group after another.
Maybe no one else benefited but as with everything else in that universe maybe that wasn’t the point.
Comment by Socially DIstant watcher Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:05 am
“So helpful.”
Lol. The Heartland “Institute” is dedicated to click-bait to induce rage among its audience, and not actually addressing any real issues.
Comment by Not a Superstar Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:07 am
The “one map of Chicago” is still undefeated.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:12 am
The words “detective” and “clearance” don’t appear in the Center Square article, so it’s hard to tell if they oppose solving crimes or just don’t remember that aspect of police work. Either way, I’m sure this intern will have a long and profitable career in the Republican dole system, writing effort-free hot takes for an audience of billionaires. Nice work if you can stomach it
Comment by vern Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:21 am
===The Chicago Police Department’s real problem, starting in the early 2010s, was the collapse of its ability to solve shootings and homicides.===
It is almost as if decades of poor police practices finally caught up to them when suddenly there were digital recording devices everywhere and technology that allowed for those records to be easily shared with a huge audience.
===But, is it really all that unhealthy when members of the public speak up for their local commanders?===
The phrase is a one bad apples spoils the bunch. For whatever reason that phrase has lost its meaning when discussing police conduct as excusing an individual as a bad apple and some how suggesting that it is not indicative of a greater problem.
As much as I believe that the CPDs problems come from internal organizational cultural issues and that those issues are caused by self serving people with malicious intent and behaviors that can be easily compared to gang like, I don’t believe that means that there isn’t someone somewhere in the CPD that can clean it up and help to solve their problems.
I think it would be hard to find that person and I would have a lot of questions as to how it was that a local police official amassed such a large following of members of the public and would have some questions about whether or not they are misusing their authority to advance their own career. It would be worth examining if their apparently very public persona has resulted in higher clearance rates within their respective areas, but even then that could just be due to systemic racism.
Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:33 am
Barry Butler has taken some beautiful pictures of Chicago. A great twitter follow.
Comment by Jaguar Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:33 am
“But, is it really all that unhealthy when members of the public speak up for their local commanders? We’ve seen plenty of mediocre (and worse) people chosen by “experts.” Then again, I can most definitely see where this could really get out of hand. Your thoughts?”
Helpful to see public input and recognition for Supervisors who are supported by their community…but dangerous to see top CPD brass publicly campaigning for the top job as if it is an elected office.
Comment by NIU Grad Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:34 am
The yelling at people for no apparent reason is not a new thing for the CPD but why is that the default behavior of a lot of them? I mean, I know they often don’t see the public at their best, and their job is stressful and dangerous, but all that yelling can’t be good for them, either.
Comment by cermak_rd Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 11:59 am
=== The yelling at people for no apparent reason is not a new thing for the CPD but why is that the default behavior of a lot of them?===
It seems like the default behavior for people in authority. Asking why is a good question.
Where’s the bedside manner? I remember getting a random drug test for my job and the woman at the testing clinic treated me like a criminal. The same with taking my daughter to visit a school mate at Cook County jail. In both cases we weren’t criminals but treated like criminals.
Comment by Betty Draper’s cigarette Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:13 pm
Aren’t interns supposed to get the boss a cup of coffee and put paper in the copier?
Comment by Jerry Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:23 pm
Love Berry Butler’s photos.
Comment by Just a Citizen Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:29 pm
Maybe having an intern do an editorial is admitting the regression is real to actual thought and eventually it’ll be random folks that email from non-spam accounts.
It’s also covertly overt.
As an inter they ain’t part of it, but “are”, but “aren’t”
It’s cute, by the half pay or college credit.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:32 pm
==The Center Square, meanwhile, posted an opposing view ==
How about you see what he is actually going to do now that he is mayor. He’s been elected. See what he does in office. This is an incredibly lazy piece.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:45 pm
For the amount of time and effort conservatives spend hollering about crime, they seem to collectively actively avoid actually looking at what the data and science says about what strategies work and what strategies don’t.
It definitely gives the appearance that their real goal is not crime reduction, but just harassing the poor and minorities.
Comment by Homebody Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 12:47 pm
“The phrase is a one bad apples spoils the bunch.”
Especially if the other apples cover for the bad apple….or ignore it.
Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 1:38 pm
ok, sure Wesley Skogan. but most criminals don’t just turn the bad way when they are adults. they get started young. and activities for youth are important. so are consequences. police let kids get off with a warning, or they keep track and then finally it’s juvenile delinquency court. they need to get help earlier, learn consequences earlier. it starts early. we gotta stop it earlier.
Comment by Amalia Friday, Apr 28, 23 @ 3:32 pm