A New and Necessary Approach to Addressing Chicago’s Violence
Chicago has experienced an unprecedented amount of violence in recent months. As we enter into the Fourth of July weekend, the violence continues, and calls for immediate action have been heard throughout the City. To get to the root of the violence, however, we must change our approach to public safety.
For too long, we have only relied on the police to solve our problems. The City budget highlights our extensive reliance on police. Chicago spends 40% of its operating budget on policing, a total of $1.7 billion in the most recent budget. (1) That is $1.5 billion more than the City has spent on public health during the pandemic. And Chicago is still not any safer. The violence continues.
The rate at which CPD solves murder cases, the homicide clearance rate, is under 50%. The homicide clearance rate is the lowest it has been in years. (2) Part of the problem is that police policy rests in the hands of the Mayor and the Police Superintendent. Yet public safety and policing is an issue that concerns all of us and cannot be overseen by a select few.
We need a new approach to policing, one that involves community input. The Mayor and Superintendent cannot be the only voices that have a say in police policies. We need those who have been the most impacted by violence and by policing to share their expertise in shaping policy. Community voice is one of the major differences between the Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance and the Mayor’s Ordinance. ECPS lifts up the community voice to help in the fight against violence. Now more than ever, we need a more inclusive, more effective approach to policing our city. A safe and peaceful Chicago can only be achieved by all of us working together to address the violence and create sound policing policy.
Sarah Yousuf
Associate Director of City and County Policy
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“Chicago Faces $1.2 Billion Budget Shortfall in 2021: Lightfoot” WTTW - https://news.wttw.com/2020/08/31/chicago-faces-12-billion-budget-shortfall-2021-lightfoot
“Chicago police’s homicide clearance rate dips in 2020 after improvement in recent years. “ Chicago Tribune https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-2020-clearance-rates-20201215-2evyuaybxbcvxex7s4wlvrx62q-story.html