Although homicides in Chicago have decreased slightly in recent years, the overall crime rate remains one of the highest since the 1990s. The increase in crime is evident by the recent wave of hooliganism in downtown Chicago, where 11 people were killed and 26 wounded in shootings last weekend.
The solution to this problem may be simple and old-fashioned: when criminals are not punished for their actions and law enforcement officers are afraid to do their jobs, crime rates tend to rise. It is even more concerning when discussions surrounding law enforcement shootings, such as the Adam Toledo case, overshadow the issue of why a 13-year-old was out on the streets at 2:30 a.m. with a 21-year-old criminal carrying a gun.
Other cities are facing similar challenges. Police morale is at an all-time low, resulting in high levels of voluntary resignations and early retirements, leading to critical staffing shortages. For instance, despite recruitment efforts, New Orleans has lost almost a quarter of its police force in just three years. Last year, the city saw a 100% increase in shootings compared to the previous year.
Eleven out of 14 cities had a higher-than-expected loss of police after the George Floyd protests of 2020, and Seattle had the highest proportion of its force quitting. These departures not only worsen staffing shortages but also affect the quality of new recruits and may explain the increase in police brutality, as seen in the Tyre Nichols case in Memphis in January.
On the other hand, there is a growing sense of impunity among criminals, as the arrest rate for crimes in Chicago has significantly declined from 31% in 2005 to 12.3% in 2021. This decline may be one reason why fewer crimes are being reported both to and by law enforcement in the city.
