Chicago looks to reduce nation-leading killing rate

POLICE ACTION

By Herbert G. McCann ~ The Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Police Superintendent Terry Hillard on Thursday said the department will take aggressive steps to reduce the number of people murdered in the city, which was the most of any in the nation last year.

Hillard said the department will increase its presence in areas of Chicago where homicides are high, more aggressively pursue people who have outstanding warrants, seize automobiles in which guns and narcotics are found, and step up efforts to find and arrest parole violators.

Hillard, standing with the department's top commanders, said police will ask residents to cooperate more with police. He said he expects the state's attorney's office to prosecute all violations committed by offenders, and for judges to impose stiffer sentences.

"An increase in homicides requires that everyone do more," he said. "As the police challenge themselves to step up their efforts, so too must everyone who has a stake in healthy communities."

Last year, Chicago's 666 murders were the most for any city in the country, including New York, which has more than double Chicago's population. The number of killings was up last year after declining every year since 1994 and surpassed the 2000 total of 629.

Department spokesman Pat Camden said the more aggressive approach would not mirror the tactics used by New York police to reduce the number of murders there. Authorities sought to root out major crimes by striking at much less serious offenses. Reasoning that petty crime led to violent crime, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered police to be more aggressive. Arrests of shoplifters and jaywalkers became common, and street corner gatherings were frequently broken up by police.

Chicago will continue to champion its community policing program, in which authorities work with the community to combat crime. A fixture of the program is regular meetings between community residents and beat officers, which Deputy Superintendent Anthony Chiesa says helps keep police informed of criminal activity not immediately noted by authorities.

Three Chicago neighborhoods accounted for most of the increase in murders: the Gresham District on the South Side, and the Austin and Harrison districts on the West Side, where street gangs have been battling over turf. There were 249 gang- and drug-related murders last year.

Hillard said the department will not only target upper-level gang leadership, but also the open-air drug markets by seizing assets and identifying money laundering activities. He said state and federal law enforcement agencies will have to aid in that effort.

"This is not about sweeps, or violating rights; we will adhere to the Constitution," Hillard said.

Hillard also said patrol officers will have to increase their efforts to battle crime by being more aggressive in challenging gang activities. There also will be more mobile command posts dispatched to areas where spikes in criminal activity is noted.

"We are demanding more from beat officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains and my entire command staff," he said. "No part of this department will be uninvolved."