After 74 people were shot over one of the city’s most violent weekends in more than two years, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson pleaded with the community to come forward with information to hold people accountable for the carnage, including 12 fatalities.

“You all know who these individuals are,” a frustrated Johnson said at one point.

But the fear and discomfort in reporting on neighbors is real. And the police are not trusted by many people in the affected communities.

“I think it is disheartening that we are at Tuesday after the weekend we had without anyone being charged,” Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told the Tribune in a phone interview. “The feeling that people can do this with impunity makes the work that much more difficult.”

On Tuesday, the Police Department refused to release current data on how many homicides and shootings it solves — known as clearance rates — telling the Tribune to file a Freedom of Information Act request.

Detective division sources interviewed Tuesday by the Tribune said they absolutely need community help to solve shootings and homicides. They were also sensitive to fears that residents have of cooperating with police.

“It’s understandable,” said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have the department’s permission to speak. “It’s a dangerous thing to be a murder witness in the neighborhood where the murders are taking place.”

 

Like this story? Want to know why tens of thousands of law enforcement people receive stories like this in their email twice a week?

Subscribe to award winning OnTarget newsletter!

Shares
Share This
0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
      Calculate Shipping
      Apply Coupon
      Available Coupons
      admin20 Get $20.00 off $20 off your cart total.
      adminpromo Get 100% off Free item offered by the administrator
      Unavailable Coupons
      adminsubscriptionretiredfirstpayment Get $120.00 off First payment of retired subscription when paid and added manually.
      cabinfree2days Get $90.00 off Get 2 free nights at the cabin.
      cabinfreeweek Get $315.00 off A free week (7 days) at the associated cabin in one contiguous stay at the time of your choice.
      freebassentry Get 100% off
      golf2024robr Get $700.00 off Rob Richardson sponsor amount to cover his foursome. Check given. Tim approved.
      golfsponsor Get 100% off Free admission to the tournament with a golf sponsorship.
      jh$25 Get $25.00 off Jonathon Hall reimbursement for shirt he purchased that was too small.
      ldf1month Get $13.00 off Prorate an LDF membership for 1 month discount
      ntcvendorcomp Get 100% off This coupon entitles the user to a free vendor table at the NTC conference.
      retired10 Get $10.00 off
      retired60 Get $60.00 off This discounts your current year renewal $60 since you already pre-paid $60 towards your renewal for this year.
      spmtc Get 20% off Special 20% Off all Motor T's for a limited time!