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Shootings, murders way up, but police stops, gun arrests way down

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Police officers are making drastically fewer investigative stops and confiscating fewer guns as murders and shootings have increased so far this year, DNAinfo Chicago has learned.

So far this year, the number of so-called investigative stop reports — formerly known as “contact cards” — has decreased by about 80 percent compared to the same time period last year, police sources told DNAinfo.com.

There also been a 37-percent decline in gun arrests and a 35-percent decrease in gun confiscations compared to last year, according to police data.

Meanwhile, there have been 72 more shootings (a 218 percent increase) and 10 more murders (a 125 percent spike) than the same time period in 2015, according to police data. […]

“I’ll leave that up to by the common sense of the citizens as to why things are not as productive … investigative stop wise,” Fraternal Order of Police president Dean Angelo said.

“I’ve been out to roll calls and so have our board of directors … and what we’re hearing is that officers think that the FOP is the only group of people who have their back. … I’ve never seen things like this in my 35 years. … I’ve never seen morale this bad in my career.”

They’re playing right into Rauner’s hands.

If the cops aren’t doing their jobs, and the union is making cynical excuses for them, well, then perhaps the state has to go after the union.

I’m not saying that, I’m just sayin’.

* CBS 2…

The superintendent acknowledged there has been a recent decrease in gun seizures, but said he doesn’t believe the increased scrutiny on the department has affected morale.

“We have to be concerned, always, about morale; but right now I’m not overly concerned, no,” he said.

Escalante said there has been some confusion over new procedures, and that might be slowing things down for officers.

Officer Enrique Delgado-Hernandez – in front of the boss – said heightened scrutiny, new training in the use of force, and extra paperwork amid the fallout from the McDonald scandal have not led to a slowdown of policing.

Then what is it?

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:32 am

Comments

So far this year? The calendar year?

It’s Jan. 14, for crying out loud.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:37 am
Chicago shootings and homicide stats

http://heyjackass.com/

Comment by Damfunny Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:42 am
It’s the famous ‘if we can’t shoot you with impunity, we won’t protect you’ strategy!

Comment by Century Club Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:43 am
If there’s a union we should go after it’s police unions. Some of these guys are downright scary with the stuff they say. If you criticize blatant corruption they threaten not to do their jobs. Putting our communities in danger to prove a political point is just bottom of the barrel despicable.

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:44 am
Matthew 7:3-5.

Comment by weltschmerz Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:46 am
Time to start firing people.

Comment by Anon Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:48 am
I would have thought that fewer police stops would lead to fewer shootings.

Comment by SAP Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:49 am
officers think that the FOP is the only group of people who have their back…

100% true.

“I’m not overly concerned, no” This is why Escalate will NEVER make superintendent.

Good police feel like they are all “vandyked”. I’m not making that term up. It’s really quite bad.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:49 am
FOP is on their own.

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:51 am
CPD officers are on a work slowdown for the right to racially profile.

Comment by Forgottonia Republic Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:55 am
I’m surprised Rahm hasn’t gone after the FOP more than he has - shift as much blame as possible.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:57 am
“Time to start firing people.”

And do what, exactly? Are you volunteering to join the force Anon? You’ve got my nomination.

Comment by Losing My Edge Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 9:58 am
It was an FOP spokesman that got out in front of the cameras and first told the world that McDonald lunged at cops with a knife…

Comment by There is power in a union... Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:04 am
“So far this year? The calendar year? It’s Jan. 14, for crying out loud.”

This bears repeating.

Nothing statistically meaningful can be gleaned from comparing these two two-week time periods in isolation. Without more, it is mere anecdote masquerading as data.

That said, the FOP’s statements “as to why things are not as productive” are certainly revelatory.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:07 am
Wasn’t it freezing cold last year at this time? I think my kids had like 3 days off of school because of the cold by this time last year.

Comment by Person 8 Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:09 am
The news showed a copy of the paperwork that needs to be filled with each arrest, it’s two full pages full of all sorts of detailed demographic information. Seems a bit much to me. I would love to see a pdf of the form if there are any good reporters associated with the blog that can get a copy and post on the Internet….

Comment by Just Me Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:11 am
Take the time to talk with some police officers anywhere and it will quickly become clear.

Ever since the politicians from the President down unjustly crucified the police officer in Ferguson, police officers haven’t take as many risks for fear of also being hung out as the scapegoats. It has resulted in significant changes in enforcement measures in all the cities where the police have been treated similarly. It is also greatly changing the demographics of police forces where many of the more experienced, knowledgeable officers are retiring at their earliest opportunity and new officers are being put in very difficult positions for which they are totally unprepared. Totally predictable.

Please note that I do believe that the Chicago shooting was a bad, unjustified shoot.

Comment by logic not emotion Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:19 am
Century Club- per Supreme Court ruling, there is no legal requirement for police to even show up when called, much less “protect” anyone. The whole nonsense idea of the thin blue line as the only thing that stands between civilization and chaos. The principles in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights can be such a hindrance to cops “just doing their jobs” (as defined by them.)
Every police union in IL opposed taping homicide interrogations, the legislature had to force them to do it.

The body cam bill has language requiring the police to give their names to people they stop. That might explain fewer stops. It’s not as much fun when you can be identified.

Ever notice how small police name badges can be when you look at them, if they even display nameplates? In the military our names were one inch high, so people could be identified and accountable.

Comment by Payback Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:23 am
The news showed a copy of the paperwork that needs to be filled with each arrest, it’s two full pages full of all sorts of detailed demographic information. Seems a bit much to me. I would love to see a pdf of the form if there are any good reporters associated with the blog that can get a copy and post on the Internet

The document was posted on the notorious cop-blog. They implied that it’s use was incredibly burdensome, but I just don’t see it.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hDHUf3TmTok/VpUzYfsJrDI/AAAAAAAAEr4/3ZQf7W1ZbOg/s1600/CPD-11.910-page-001.jpg

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rp0zdQ2Y7JE/VpUzafpmkEI/AAAAAAAAEsA/LwgbEh_hWcU/s1600/CPD-11.910-page-002.jpg

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:24 am
Gee, I need to spend extra time each shift to make sure the camera and audio are working (and do paperwork to document if it isn’t) so I don’t get 3 days suspension. I will need time for extra use of force training, extra time to be certified to use a taser, etc. etc. I will serve and protect the residents of the city but I will also protect my family.

Comment by ANON Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:27 am
According to one news story yesterday

http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/Chicago-Police-Street-Stops-Forms-365217761.html

Street stops and the confiscating of guns have decreased because of several issues with new CPD reporting forms. The new form, the report states, was the result of the CPD policies related to its stop-and-frisk policies.

Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:28 am
keepin’ it fetal folks.

Comment by proudstatetrooper Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:30 am
Logic Not Emotion - As somebody who works for the government, if I simply pouted and refused to do my job every time somebody said something mean about my profession, I’d literally never work a day in my life. Your moniker seems ironic.

And as long as police continue to shoot and kill unarmed black folks, they will be criticized, and justifiably so. Be it in Ferguson, New York, or Chicago

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:31 am
I’m all for unions and what they traditionally stand for, but….
Some leadership in some unions have forgotten their own history, and haven’t kept up with the times. IMHO, they also haven’t been reading the paper lately about how the rest of the world functions, communicates and interprets communities and the members of those communities.
I’m afraid the FOP has already crossed that line into blindly digging themselves deeper and deeper into trouble because its the only thing they know. Very much like readers here have commented, the GA GOP better stand up to the Gov, or pay the price later. The true, honest, principled and hard working CPD officers had better find their collective conscious and elect new leaders from within their ranks.

All is not lost yet…but it’s gettin’ close.

Comment by northernwatersports Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:33 am
===Gee, I need to spend extra time each shift to make sure the camera and audio are working===

Poor guy. That takes how much time?

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:39 am
Go after the union sounds like a great idea. How? What power does the State or the City have to break an existing contract?

I have got several unions in mind.

B Rauner

Comment by jeffinginchicago Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:40 am
Johnny,

Criticism is one thing. Indictments, job loss or death can be the result for fops if they are viewed as taking the wrong tact. Every situation is unique, and the Michael Brown shooting was in no way similar to the Mcdonald shooting. The mob mentality that surrounded Ferguson had that Officer convicted before the facts were known. False narratives like hands up dont shoot were run with and thats a fear cops have to live with. I think they can handle mere criticism, but having your whole life ruined over a lie is a real concern.

Comment by Generation X Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:46 am
–It has resulted in significant changes in enforcement measures in all the cities where the police have been treated similarly. It is also greatly changing the demographics of police forces where many of the more experienced, knowledgeable officers are retiring at their earliest opportunity and new officers are being put in very difficult positions for which they are totally unprepared. –

Care to show your work? Or is that just like, your opinion, man?

–Totally predictable.–

Differences in a two-week period over two years were totally predictable?

What’s the difference going to between June 1-June 15 this year compared to last year?

You’ve got mad swami skills. What are you doing with your Powerball winnings?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:49 am
Look at NYPD Police Union Response to “Black Lives Matter”… # of Police Killed in Line of Duty since 2000: 2100, Number of Black’s killed by police in same period: 72… GET REAL….

Comment by Retired CPD Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:51 am
A sad reminder that police are not the “bad guys”.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:56 am
Nothing some midnight basketball can’t fix.

Comment by Shemp Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:56 am
Generation X,
Here is why responses like yours are tone deaf. When police carelessly kill the very people they’re sworn to protect they can, should, and will receive criticism. When they also have the ability to investigate themselves, they will face even harsher criticism when they find that they were justified in killing unarmed citizens, because the citizenry isn’t buying it. When their response to all this is to shield the bad cops instead of rooting them out, they can’t then whine and cry that the helpless citizens react with rage. I’m not going to get into a debate about Ferguson because you are clearly under the impression that Grand Juries serve a function they don’t. Hands Up Don’t Shoot was never shown to be a lie as an example. There simply wasn’t enough evidence to go to trial. Though many would point out that the Prosecutor made sure of that from the beginning

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:57 am
Heroes, all.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 10:57 am
Re: shootings, we had FOUR 60+-degree days this December, a truckload of 40s & 50s and only 3 at or below 32.

As noted here, January is far too little data to make a meaningful comparison, but frankly, given everything that’s brewing in the city and the amount of time people have been spending out in the streets, we’re lucky it hasn’t been worse.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:04 am
Gotta love the New York guys using 9/11 deaths to prove a political point

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:05 am
==A sad reminder that police are not the “bad guys”.==

Just people who think they’re above paperwork, Constitutionality, basic courtesy, and other fundamental job requirements.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:06 am
If you don’t do the paperwork, it doesn’t get reported. Then the politicians who jump on the way you do the paperwork take credit for “a reduction in crime.”

I don’t blame the police here. With police reports undergoing a fine tooth comb type of inspection, who wants to chance being pilloried for doing your job?

Fix the system for rooting out the bad apples and let the good cops be good cops.

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:25 am
Professionalism dictates that regardless of the obstacles you are presented in doing your job, you do it anyway in the best manner you can.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:31 am
I agree with Louis. I think there also needs to be a cultural change that allows for the reporting of problems. Not sure how that cultural change can occur, but it should be encouraged to help weed out the bad apples.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:34 am
“Then what is it?”

The Raoul-Sims body-cam/police reform bill took effect January 1st. The new law requires police to provide street-stop receipts to any invididual they have contact with during an investigative stop if they don’t conduct an arrest or issue a citation.

The goal is to create accountability and deter bad cops from unfairly or illegally harassing individuals by creating a paper trail that would make it easier for a citizen to identify and file a complaint against a cop. No doubt, the law will accomplish that goal.

But there will be a negative consequence. CPD officers in tactical units are deployed in areas where gang shootings are spiking. They often “shake down” street corners, parks and other areas where gang member congregate in an effort to gather leads, confiscate guns, etc. These officers see the requirement of handing out street stop receipts as the equivelant of handing gang members an invitation to sue them. As such, officers are going to be less likely to engage in these pre-emptive street stops that are designed to stop crime before it occurs. They’ll stay in their cars and respond to 911 calls when dispatched — in other words, fight crime after it has happened.

The new law likely will help prevent abusive behavior by the police, but it will also deter aggressive police work by decent cops. It’s a tough balance.

Comment by PhD Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:39 am
i agree the extra reporting is tough on good cops, but I’ve have more than 1 friend “shaken down” with no option for recourse. Literal side of the road highway robbery. One fried was caught smoking a joint and the cop took all the money he had on him as a “deal” to avoid charging him with distribution

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:47 am
==Just people who think they’re above paperwork, Constitutionality, basic courtesy, and other fundamental job requirements.==

Painting with a broad brush there.

Most cops are good, just as most Chicagoans are.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:48 am
Tough spot for a union. There are indeed some bad cops out there, and the union has a duty to represent them. Representing them too well has hurt the image of the vast majority, who are good people taking serious risk on our behalf. It is a fine line, but I think it would benefit the group as a whole if the union found a way to help drum out the bad ones

Comment by Junior Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:58 am
FKA, the cops are painting themselves.

An 80% decrease in activity upon having to fill out a form explaining why that activity is constitutional means that either

a) most of that activity was illegal or that

b) most of the actors don’t think they should have to do the paperwork their job requires.

With a 10% decrease, you might have an argument about “most.”

Re: bad apples, the saying is not that a few bad apples makes the good ones look bad.

What does it do to the good apples, again?

Comment by crazybleedingheart Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:59 am
I’m certain that I don’t need a lesson on the function of a Grand Jury, and you are obviously not going to believe any police shootings of an unarmed person is justified. Pre Judgments such as these are the exact reason why cops are hesitant in some situations.

Comment by Generation X Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 12:09 pm
Pre Judgement? I’m asking that when cops shoot citizens, they shouldn’t be in charge of investigating and exonerating themselves. Especially when we can access video of them blatantly lying. Sure, some instances of a cop shooting an unarmed person may be justified in extreme cases. But it’s getting harder and harder by the day to simply take their word for it. If they didn’t have such a miserable record with the truth, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this situation, but here we are

Comment by Johnny Pyle Driver Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 12:37 pm
Phd- the paper trail required by the body cam bill is excellent. It provides accountability and chain of command. What the downstaters don’t realize is that most of the “tactical” (paramilitary) style units are plainclothes and not in uniform. Cops love unmarked cars and plainclothes assignments because they can’t be identified as easily.

I believe that in the state of Ohio, no police authority, local, county or state, can make a traffic stop in an unmarked car. This protects citizens against police impersonators such as John Gacy, who had a sheriff’s badge.

Re. Senator Raul, they did not criminalize the deletion of body cam video, so this serves as an incentive for cops to alter, erase, or “lose” the vids, as happened in the McDonald shooting.

With no criminal penalties, cops will ignore the body cam mandate It looks like the police unions got to the pro-police Good Old Boys element in the legislature, so apparently there are some Good Old Boy Reps. in the Chicago area too.

Comment by Payback Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 12:48 pm
I am so glad I did not become a police officer, today’s new culture of anti police, what do you expect them to do when they’re every move is scrutinized by lawyers and the general public, even when they do they’re job by the book.

Comment by Shanks Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 1:26 pm
@crazybleedingheart - that was a great and thoughtful comment. The 80 percent drop stands out imho as well.

Does it means 80 percent are bad cops, however? idk.

McCarthy was a big proponent of the ==contact cards== as well as ==foot patrols== and ==the box== for patrol areas. Some of the decrease may be from the new Supt pushing these reports less aggressively; some from the shift towards reactive policing and greater fear of losing their jobs or worse if anything goes wrong on duty; some from rotten apples; and some from the new form taking much longer to process.

Those bad apples could, however, spoil them all.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 1:29 pm
And for background, look at the difference between ==contact cards== and the new ==investigative stop reports==.

It went from a 3×5 with maybe a dozen questions to a 9×11 with dozens of questions. No training on these new forms has been conducted yet, layers of bureaucracy have been added, and the ACLU is receiving and reviewing copies of these reports. None of this is an excuse, but it may explain some.

https://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2016/01/contact-card-vs-isr.html

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 1:43 pm
Just to clarify the terminology:

- Contact Cards are designed to be for police comsumption only and have been used for years. They’re used to collect information (gang affiliation, location of the stop, etc.) during a street stop. The cards are saved by the department and may be used for investigative purposes later on.

The Investigative Stop Report (ISR) is a new form that was created after a settlement between CPD and the ACLU to essentially track and curb “stop-and-frisk” incidents.

Stop Receipts are mandated by the new state law and are issued by the police to individuals they stop and question on the street. The officer has to provide to the person he stopped documentation that includes the officer’s name and star number, as well as a written explanation for the reason for the stop. Since January 1, officer are required to fill out both an ISR and a stop receipt in many cases.

As mentioned before, the ISR’s and “stop receipts” will effectively curb abusive behavior by cops, but they will also have a chilling effect on aggressive (but legal) police work. No, we shouldn’t overreact to two weeks worth of crime data, but we shouldn’t be surprised if the crime trends evident so far this month continue well into the new year.

Comment by PhD Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 2:46 pm
===Look at NYPD Police Union Response to “Black Lives Matter”… # of Police Killed in Line of Duty since 2000: 2100, Number of Black’s killed by police in same period: 72… GET REAL….

You know this is bogus right? The number of officers killed is about right nationwide (2013 was the lowest since 1912). Last year, by mid-November, 1,000 people were killed by police. I have no doubt most were justified. But do you really believe 72 African-Americans were killed by police since 2000? And if so, can I sell you a bridge?

Comment by ArchPundit Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 3:46 pm
So there’s a bunch of paperwork and officers are upset. Okay, then the good officers can avoid these problems by stopping the cover ups of cases like the McDonald case.

This is a pretty natural result of the police not policing themselves.

Comment by ArchPundit Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 3:47 pm
====2013 was the lowest since 1912

Sorry, 1959.

Comment by ArchPundit Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 4:02 pm
The number of guns being taken off the street here in Chicago has gone down in part because one of the tactics used by cops has had to stop. See http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1232366/2-cpd-officers-face-probe-got-gun

Comment by Rod Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 4:18 pm
“This is a pretty natural result of the police not policing themselves.”

Agreed. And the cruel irony is that the remedy, pushed by politicians and civil libertarians, may unfortunately revictimize high-crime, minority neighborhoods with higher crime rates.

Good cops policing bad cops is the best solution, coupled with aggressive but respectful police tactics. Neither of which is easy to pull off.

Comment by PhD Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 4:24 pm
@PhD - well said in both posts.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 5:00 pm
CPD created its own mess by creating a report which is not legally required (a contact card could serve the same purpose) and a concurrent bureaucratic nightmare to process and review the reports. If you’re running from call to call during your shift (as some CPD Districts do), and doing legal police work, you’re already pushing enough paper and computer time, let alone explaining to the ACLU every last detail every time you exercise your powers. The real solution is ethical people at all levels of CPD, not paperwork and lawyers.

Comment by CrookCounty60827 Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 5:26 pm
The SB1304 body cam bill requires collection of data re. the person stopped such as race, sex, whether a search was performed, etc.

One category it does not track is whether the person stopped or searched is a FOID or FCCL holder. Since police can run license plates and have the CCL status come up before they reach the car, this is a category of info. that needs to be tracked to monitor for police abuse.

A look at the final vote on the bill shows Rep. Brandon Phelps as one of the three NO votes on the body cam bill. I guess civil rights for gun owners really aren’t that high on his list.

Comment by Payback Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 5:46 pm
what do you expect them to do when they’re every move is scrutinized by lawyers and the general public, even when they do they’re job by the book.

“Well, if you haven’t done anything wrong, Officer Goodapple, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 6:39 pm
Interesting comment above:

“I’ll leave that up to by the common sense of the citizens as to why things are not as productive … investigative stop wise,” Fraternal Order of Police president Dean Angelo said.”

“Production” is a Chicago police term for making a lot of arrests. Example: an officer that wants to get on a plainclothes (now called tactical) assignment or keep it must show “production.”

Look at the terminology. A police station is similar to a real estate office with a chart on the wall of homes sold for the month. In this case the “product” is human beings, and the goal is to get them into the prison complex pipeline.

You never hear words like Constitution or Bill of Rights in the conversation. Sometime in the 1960s Peace Officers became Law Enforcement Officers and look at the end result.

Comment by Payback Thursday, Jan 14, 16 @ 11:34 pm