After a weekend that saw multiple shootings in Chicago’s downtown districts, Police Supt. David Brown on Monday noted a “displacement effect” this spring as crime rose in some areas of the city, while a handful of areas targeted by police and anti-violence programs have seen steep declines in shootings and murders.
At a news conference at police headquarters, Brown pledged to devote more resources to Chicago’s downtown and onto the CTA in response to increasing crime. But the superintendent, whose tenure has coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and a citywide spike in violence, also pointed out that the 55 neighborhoods that have been the focus of the enhanced crime-fighting strategies have seen murders drop nearly 30% and shootings fall by more than 40%.
