NCJ Number
211027
Date Published
June 2005
Length
47 pages
Annotation
The primary objective of this report is to provide a brief overview of the Chicago Police Department's (CPD's) antiviolence strategies and tactics mounted in 2004.
Abstract
Paralleling violent-crime patterns in other major U.S. cities, homicides in Chicago rose dramatically in the early 1990s (peaking at 931 murders in 1994), followed by dramatic declines in homicide for the remainder of the decade (631 murders by 2000). This pattern changed in 2001, when the number of homicides jumped to 665, a pattern that was not found in other major cities. More than half of all homicides in Chicago have been attributed to gang activities, and gangs control the violence-laden multimillion dollar illegal drug markets. In addition, over 70 percent of Chicago's homicides each year have been committed with a firearm. Given these factors related to Chicago's homicides, the CPD's primary objective in 2004 was to crack down on gangs and guns by introducing a wide range of aggressive and visible enforcement programs in targeted locations. Homicide figures for 2004 showed a sudden drop to 447, a 25-percent decline from 2003, which was unparalleled in other major U.S. cities. "Public violence," defined as "any violent crime committed in the public way," also declined. Public violence with a firearm declined 13 percent, and overall public violence declined 7 percent; drive-by shootings declined 21 percent, from 550 in 2003 to 432 in 2004. This report is more descriptive than evaluative; data collection will continue in 2005 to provide a more in-depth examination of management strategies and to assess whether crime reductions can be causally linked to changes in police strategies and operations over time. 4 tables and 29 references