With violent crime surging in Chicago, the police department is taking radical new measures to get more cops out on the street. The latest move has involved determining whether administrative positions filled by trained officers could be effectively discharged by civilians; if so, the police were reassigned. According to 89 WLS, 319 officers are now headed away from their desks and out onto the streets. The process will involve hiring replacements for their positions, so the shift may not be complete until next year.
Police departments in major cities around the country are confronting the need for new measures to combat a spike in crime rates. This phenomenon seems tied to widespread criticism of police and their resulting reluctance to take on criminals proactively. Criminals know that they are currently less likely to get in trouble—and in cities like Chicago, they know that restrictive gun laws hamper the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves.
