CHICAGO, IL—In the midst of a movement to defund the police, the city of Chicago during the month of August increased law enforcement presence as a response to rising rates of shootings, violence and gang activity. As a result of increase police presence, the city released new statistics showing a 45 percent decrease in murders compared to the month of July, which was Chicago’s deadliest month of 2020.
The Chicago Police Department Police superintendent David Brown cited the department’s success to a change in strategy over recent weeks. According to an outline released by the CPD on August 14, some of the new measures taken over the past few months include confiscating dangerous weapons off the street, enhancing use of technology and data analytics, increasing response time, and forming stronger community partnerships.
The CPD was assisted by Operation Legend, a program from the Trump Administration designed to deploy federal officials, such as FBI agents, on the ground to help detect, anticipate and locate plans for violence to help stop it before it begins. According to statistics from the city of Chicago, Operation Legend helped stopped numerous crimes and lead to 61 arrests.
On Wednesday, September 2, Chicago Police Superintendent David O Brown announced on Twitter that the city has made more than 4,600 gun arrests, and are estimating that they will confiscate more than 7,000 firearms this year. “Every gun recovery is a potential deadly encounter prevented,” Brown wrote in a tweet.
