In auto racing, Indianapolis is legendary for the Indy 500. Indianapolis and many other cities continue to struggle with a race of a different kind – murders. It should be noted that Indianapolis has had a bad year. Already, as of 12 December, 258 people have been murdered in that city. This year’s Indy murder count is 13 more than 2020’s full-year total, and 25 more than a year ago on this date. Here in Chicago, this city is a day or so away from topping its 2020 full-year total. In fact, the Chicago 800 is underway. Such is a deadly race to see whether this year’s Chicago murder count stays under, hits, or exceeds 800. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
In September, following the release of the final 2020 national crime statistics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Secure 1776 published our post, “Truth and Consequences, 2020 Murders.” In 2020, America’s murder rate increased about 30 percent from 2019. Even though four weeks remain in 2021, as of 30 November, and compared to all of last year, the nation has already passed three key “truth and consequences” thresholds. First, more police officers have been ambushed. Second, more police officers have been hit by gunfire. Third, more police officers have been murdered. The truth, the nation, particularly in its urban areas continues to suffer from increased lawlessness. The nation’s police officers are among those suffering the consequences. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
As we mentioned on 30 October in our post “More Spectacle Chicago, Not Remarkable,” a combined 26 members of the Chicago City Council have the power to be remarkable. Why twenty-six? Well, in a 50-member council, 26 is a majority vote. But, that alone is not remarkable. The council votes in every session. A measure gaining 26 votes happens regularly. In fact, Chicago mayors rely on at least 26 members consistently voting as the mayor desires. Not remarkable. This has been true for generations. Today 20 members of the council sent a letter to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The issue, Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). These 20 alderman expressed their assessment that Andrea Kersten should not continue to lead COPA. She is currently COPA’s interim chief administrator. She was also the chief investigator who approved COPA’s flawed report recommending slain Police Officer Ella French be suspended. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
The Chicago City Council has an interesting history. Since at least the days of King Richard I, a.k.a. Mayor Richard J. Daley, most often Chicago’s mayor, whoever the mayor is, exercises more authority than the city’s charter might suggest. In theory, the 50-member city council has the upper political hand, and the authority to direct city policy. In truth, the council rarely actually leads the way on important issues of local governance. In the discussion of Chicago’s public safety and the vaccine mandate ordered by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as of this posting 13 members of the Chicago City Council have suggested that the council has a voice. Here is another “Cops Ask Questions” question. Will 13 more council members sign on to an interesting city ordinance proposal? [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
Yesterday we at Secure 1776 posted on the risk to public safety that is intertwined with Chicago’s vaccine mandate for city employees. In “Cops Ask Questions, Pandemic Politics,” we pointed out that of course, cops are among those that are asking questions. We strongly recommend reading that post and watching the associated videos. Chicago is among those places where the implementation of forced vaccination approaches raises grave concerns. Here we provide a reminder about the tie between public safety and the Constitution of the United States of America. A leaked telephone conversation involving a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney provides another reason why cops ask questions. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
This week U.S. Senator Dick Durbin spoke about a driving experience on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. We will come back to “Lake Shore Drive” in our analysis. Durbin was traveling with his wife and another couple, as the four were returning home following dinner downtown. Quoting the Senator: “It was stunning. I heard the popping sounds and I wasn’t sure what happened.” As reported by FOX32, the incident happened around 10 p.m. on Saturday, 25 September 2021. He described seeing gunfire from the car next to them. “A driver was leaning out the window and shooting a gun in the air! He could’ve just as easily been shooting the gun at us. Sadly, that’s what happens way too often … my wife and I and the other couple, we were lucky.” Such is yet one more story in Chicago’s “Groundhog Day in Hadleyville” saga. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
In the “Men in Black” film series secret agents use a device to erase memories. Those agents sought to conceal the activities of extraterrestrials. In New York, it is not secret agents telling the police to “forget about it,” and the “it” is criminal activity. A ruling by New York Judge Lyle Frank has, in a sense, at least for now, memory holed about half of the arrest records of the New York Police Department (NYPD). As reported by US News & World Report, the issue centers around the sealing of arrest records when the arrest does not end in a conviction. That’s good right? Well, like so much, the answer is both “yes” and “no.” What we can say with certainty, victim’s don’t so easily get to just forget about it. Here we present a “Quick Read” update on our August post entitled, “Crime Victims Are Not the Priority.” [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
When the police are used as the face and muscle of pandemic restrictions enforcement, the police-community relationship is placed a risk. Relative to policing, even vocal critics of the police speak of “police legitimacy.” Jonathan Blanks is an ardent police reform advocate. While Blanks seems to lay the burden of maintaining legitimacy on the police alone, he has identified legitimacy as the “most valuable” police department resource. When severe Covid restrictions are viewed by a substantial portion of the community as violating the rights of free citizens, community assessments of police legitimacy are diminished. With a damaged police-community relationship, and weakened assessments of legitimacy, overall public safety is placed in jeopardy. Here we present a “Quick Read” and video update regarding pandemic restrictions enforcement in Australia. [Click the link below to read more.]
Read More
Yesterday we posted on how national polling found that Americans believe crime is out of control, and how some “reform” efforts have left American’s feeling less safe. A WGN News/Emerson College poll released today reminds us that all crime is local, with 61.8% of Chicagoans believing crime is worse this year than last. When it comes to murders and shootings, they are right. It bears noting that 2020 was a particularly violent year in Chicago, with 3,260 shooting incidents, 4,033 shooting victims, and 769 murders. From 2019, shooting incidents in 2020 were up 51.9% and murders were up 55.4%. The WGN poll also provides another Hadleyville warning sign for Chicago.
Read More
Americans believe crime is out of control. So say 70% of the respondents in an August 2021 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports (RR) and the National Police Association. Combined, 90% of likely voters are “somewhat” to “very concerned” about the recent increase in violent crime. Quoting RR: “Voters are overwhelmingly concerned about violent crime and believe many so-called criminal justice reforms are contributing to the problem.” What does this mean?
Read More
Crime victims are not the priority for offenders. Of that we can be certain, or those who seek to harm others would not do so. Clearly, “the priority” of the justice system is supposed to be “justice.” Without question, such demands that the system follow the law and respect the Constitutional rights of all those who are accused of crimes. However, can a justice system be truly “just” if victims are not at least “a priority.”
Read More
